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Discourses 

of 

Brigham  Young 

SECOND  #8JiSIDBNT  OF  TH&  CH0RCH 

,*0£jE$tfS  CHRIST 
OF  EATTER-JPAf  SAINTS 


"I  am  called  to  preach  the  Gospel  of  Life 
and  Salvauon."  '      ,       • 

—Journal  of  Discourses,  Fi$(  ^  ^  U 


Selected  and  Arranged 

ty 
JOHN  A.  WIDTSOE 


D^SERET  BOOK  COMPANY 


iv  PREFACE 

to  do  the  work  so  well  In  fact,  Bngliam  Young  was  first 
a  spiritual  teacher  and  secondly  a  material  leader  The  re- 
ligion that  he  professed  made  him  the  man  that  he  became; 
its  pnnciples  were  used  in  guiding  the  people  in  all  their 
affairs. 

Books  enough  to  fill  a  library  have  been  written  about 
the  history,  character  and  accomplishments  of  Bngham 
Young.  Few  of  these  books  attempt  to  analyze  the  sys- 
tem of  doctrine  and  piactice  that  bi  ought  unbounded  suc- 
cess to  the  Latter-day  Saints  |  Many  display  such  extreme 
religious  partisanship  that  even  the  sympathetic  reader  can 
place  no  lehance  upon  their  statements.  Something  harsher 
might  be  said  about  the  large  number  of  books  written 
about  Bngham  Young  and  .his  times  that  manifestly  aim 
to  secure  popularity  by  appealing  to  the  sensational  and 
the  lurid,  at  the  expense  of  tiuth.  Even  recently,  when  the 
years  have  given  perspective,  some  writers  have  set  up 
hypotheses  concerning  Bngham  Young,  and  have  pro- 
ceeded to  argue  the  case— as  if  that  were  history !  It  is 
amazing  that  intelligent  people,  knowing  the  high  order  of 
accomplishments  of  the  Latter-day  Saints,  give  credence 
to  the  weird  and  crude  stones,  appealing  to  the  baser  emo- 
tions of  mankind,  which  fill  the  pages  of  anti-"Moimon" 
literature. 

In  this  book  Bngham  Young  is  allowed  to  speak  for 
himself.  Excerpts  have  been  made  from  his  many  dis- 
courses, and  these  have  been  arranged  to  show  the  co- 
herent system  of  faith  which  he  continuously  taught  his 
people  and  by  which  he  was  enabled  to  win  success  for  his 
followers.  The  philosophy  thus  set  forth  is  clear  and  un- 
mistakable in  its  purpose  It  reveals  Bngham  Young  as  a 
man  who  applied  the  simple  principles  of  the  Gospel  of 


PREFACE  V 

Jesus  Christ  to  the  everyday  affairs  of  men;  and  who 
proved  the  efficacy,  in  common  life,  among  common  men, 
of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God, 

This  book  was  made  possible  because  Brigham  Young 
secured  stenographic  reports  of  his  addresses,  As  he  trav- 
eled among  the  people,  reporters  accompanied  him.  All 
that  he  said  was  recorded.  Practically  all  of  these  dis- 
courses (from  December  16,  1851  to  August  19,  1877)  were 
published  in  the  Journal  of  Discourses,  which  was  widely 
distributed.  The  public  utterances  of  few  great  historical 
figures  have  been  so  faithfully  and  fully  preserved.  Clearly, 
this  mass  of  material,  covering  nearly  thirty  years  of  in- 
cessant public  speaking  could  not  be  presented  with  any 
hope  of  serving  the  general  reader,  save  in  the  form  of 
selections  of  essential  doctrines. 

The  discourses,  from  which  this  volume  has  been  culled, 
were  spoken  extemporaneously.  The  state  papers  of  Gov- 
ernor Bngham  Young,  and  the  epistles  signed  by  him  and 
his  counselors  in  the  Presidency  of  the  Church,  have  not 
been  used  in  this  collection.  The  excerpts  here  presented 
came  from  his  lips  under  the  inspiration,  at  the  moment, 
of  the  Power  that  guided  his  life.  The  corrections  for  the 
printer,  as  shown  by  existing  manuscripts,  were  few  and  of 
minor  consequence.  The  discourses  are  a  remarkable  self- 
revelation  of  the  character  and  moving  impulses  of  a  man 
who  accomplished  huge  tasks  for  his  generation  It  is 
marvelous  that  the  enemies  of  Brigham  Young,  with  this 
wealth  of  material  before  them,  have  found  so  little  to  use 
to  his  disadvantage,  But,  a  dishonest  or  insincere  man 
would  not  have  had  his  public  utterances  reported  and  pub- 
lished all  over  the  world  The  consistency  of  the  views  pre- 
sented, from  the  first  to  the  last  discourse,  would  be 


VI  PREFACE 

astounding,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  he  clung  constantly 
for  interpretation  to  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  as  he  had 
been  taught  it  by  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  His  devotion 
to  his  teacher  and  predecessor,  the  Prophet,  is  tenderly 
beautiful, 

The  school  education  of  Biigham  Young  was  very  lim- 
ited, but  his  discourses  show  a  wide  knowledge  of  men  and 
affairs  and  an  excellent  powei  to  use  the  English  language 
clearly  and  forcefully.  Often,  his  simple  eloquence  rises 
to  great  heights  Those  who  heard  him  speak  have  de- 
clared that  they  were  held  in  tense  attention,  however  long 
the  address  might  be.  His  vivid  imagination,  dramatic 
power  and  unquestioned  sincerity  made  him  a  natural 
orator  He  seldom  confined  himself  to  one  subject  in  his 
discourses  The  needs  of  the  day  were  the  themes  about 
which  he  wound  his  teachings. 

No  liberties  have  been  taken,  in  this  book,  with  the 
words  of  Brigham  Young  In  a  few  instances,  errors  in 
language  or  spelling,  which  should  have  been  caught  by  the 
printer,  have  been  corrected.  All  distinct  sentiments,  as 
expressed  in  the  discourses,  are  represented  by  one  or  more 
quotations,  except  such  as  refer  to  conditions  now  no  longer 
existing  The  excerpts  are  confined  to  the  piinciples  of  the 
Gospel.  The  mass  of  historical  and  autobiographical  de- 
tail could  not  be  included  without  making  this  volume  too 
large  for  popular  use.  As  it  is,  severe  pruning  and  elimin- 
ation have  been  employed  to  enable  the  inclusion  of  the 
message  of  each  of  the  363  addresses  in  the  Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, and  the  many  others  printed  m  the  Deseret  News, 
the  Millennial  Star  and  other  periodicals  The  many  sum- 
maries of  Brigham  Young's  discourses,  appearing  in  the 
Deseret  News  have  not  been  used.  The  excerpts  con- 


PREFACE  Vll 

tained  in  this  volume  are  from  verbatim  reports.  The  fig- 
ures at  the  end  of  each  excerpt  indicates  the  volume  and 
page  of  the  Journal  of  Discourses. 

These  discourses  are  Brig-ham  Young's  witness  to  the 
existence  of  God,  the  divine  mission  of  Jesus  the  Christ,  the 
restoration  of  the  Gospel  in  its  fulness  by  Joseph  Smith, 
the  Prophet,  and  the  possibility  of  securing  happiness  here 
and  hereafter  by  obedience  to  the  requirements  of  the  Gos- 
pel This  volume  is  but  another  testimony  that  the  Lord 
continues  to  speak  through  his  prophets. 

•  "  "  "?//| 

PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

The  reception  of  this  book  far  surpassed  the  hopes  of  the 
publishers.  The  first  edition  of  fifteen  thousand  was  soon 
exhausted,  The  second  edition  of  ten  thousand  is  the  same 
as  the  first  edition  except  for  some  minor  letter  corrections. 

THE  PUBLISHERS 
Feb   15,  1926. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED 

Composed  of  Eternal  Laws — Embraces  all  Truth — Increasing 
Knowledge  of  Gospel — Holds  Power  of  Priesthood — The  Gos- 
pel of  Life  and  Salvation— Offers  Salvation  to  All— A  Guide 
in  Daily  Life—A  Fountain  of  Truth — We  Need  a  Practical 
Religion — Temporal  Labors  are  Necessary — We  Need  a  Present, 
Everyday  'Religion — We  Must  Learn  to  Support  Ourselves 1 

CHAPTER  II 
THE  GODHEAD 

Our  Father  in  Heaven — Personality  and  Fatherhood  of  God — 
The  Son  of  God— the  Holy  Ghost  27 

CHAPTER  III 

THE  COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN 
The  Spirit  of  God— Revelation— Angels— Prayer 49 

CHAPTER  IV 
PRE-EXISTENCE,  THE  PLAN  ,OF  SALIVATION 

Time — The  Organized  Universe — Man  and  Matter  Eternal — 
Man  the  Offspring  of  God— The  Spirit  of  Man— The  Council 
in  Heaven— The  Plan  of  Salvation 72 

CHAPTER  V 

(FREE  AGENCY 

Definition  of 95 

CHAPTER  VI 
THE  POWER  OF  EVIL 

Lucifer— False  Spirits— Priestcraft— Sm  and  Wickedness- 
Temptation — Apostasy  104 

,  CHAPTER  VII 

THE  LAW  OF  ETERNAL  PROGRESSION 

Object  of  Mortal  Life — Man  to  Endure  Forever — The  Business 
of  life — Prepare  to  Live-^-Eternal  Increase — Blessings  are  Pro- 
portioned to  our  Capacity  ,  13J 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN 

The  Gift  of  Eternal  Life— Eternal  Increase— The  Celchtial 
Wot  Id— Opposition  to  Death  147 

CHAPTER  IX 
DISPENSATIONS  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

The  Earth— Adam  and  Eve— Enoch  and  Moses— Jesus  on  Earth 
—The  Apostasy— The  Restoration— The  Book  of  Mormon  153 

CHAPTER  X 
THE  LAST  DAYS 

Confusion  of  the  Last  Days— Ultimate  Triumph  of  Righteous- 
ness—Return to  Jackson  County— Coming  of  Chn&t— The* 
Millennium — Rapid  Movements  in  the  Last  Days— Zion — The 
Land  of  Zion— The  City  of  Zion— Purpose  of  Gathering— The 
Jews  and  Jerusalem— The  Indians  or  Lamanites  .  170 

CHAPTER  XI 
THE  SCRIPTURES 

The  Bible—the  Standard  Church  Works—The  Use  of  the 
Scriptures  191 

CHAPTER  XII 
THE  PRIESTHOOD 

The  Priesthood— The  First  Presidency— The  Apostle  and 
Melchizedek  Priesthood — The  Bishop  and  the  Aaromc  Priest- 
hood—Church Organization  and  Government  .  201 

CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

Importance  of  the  Principles  of  the  Gospel — Need  of  Ordin- 
ances—Faith— Repentance— Baptism— The  Gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost— Healing  the  Sick  .  235 


CONTENTS  Xi 

CHAPTER  XIV 
THE   SABBATH;   MEETINGS;   THE  SACRAMENT 

How  to  Spend  the  Sabbath  Day—Worship  on  Every  Day— 
rreachmg  and  Listening  in  Meetings — Testimony  Meetings — 
The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  .  ....  254 

CHAPTER  XV 

TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER 

The  Law  of  Tithing— The  Lord  has  Given  Alt'—People  Not 
Compelled  to  Pay  Tithing— Use  of  the  Tithing— The  United 
Order 269 

CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  WORD   OF  WISDOM 

Moderation — The  Word  of  Wisdom — Live  Long — Eating  for 
Health — Living  Out-of-Doors — Exercise  and  Mental  Vigor — 
Physiological  Differences — Feeding  Children — The  Giving  of  the 
Wo  id  of  Wisdom 282 

CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  FAMILY 

Virtue — Marriage — Do  Not  Marry  Unbelievers — Birth  Control — 
The  Husband — The  Wife — Children — Family  Life — Importance 
of  Early  Training — Influence  of  the  Mother — Teach  Children  the 
Gospel — Parents  Should  Teach  by  Example— Guides  for  Child 
Training — Need  of  Parent  Training  ....  -  300 

CHAPTER  XVIII 
SOME  WOMANLY  DUTIES 

The  Housewife — Woman's  Fashions-*- Some  Duties  of  the  Relief 
Societies .-. 329 

CHAPTER  XIX 
OBEDIENCE 

Counsel— Obedience— Effect  of  Obedience— Obedience  and  Free 
Agency — Effects  of  Disobedience 338 


XII  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XX 

GRATITUDE,  HUMILITY,   DEVOTION,  LIBERALITY, 
HONESTY    , 

Gratitude— Humility — Devotion  to  the  Gospel — Give  Fiecly— 
Be  Honest — Honest  in  Labor— Consistency  and  Sincerity  352 

CHAPTER  XXI 
HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENTS 

Saints  Should  be  Happy—Social  Amusements— Dancing— The 
Theater— Excm  sions  362 

CHAPTER  XXII 
EDUCATION 

Knowledge  and  Intelligence — A  Religion  of  Impiovcmcnt — 
Knowledge  to  be  Sought— Continuous  Education — Effects  of 
Education— Educate  Our  Children—Establish  Schools— What  to 
Study — Religions  Education — Science  and  Religion— the  Body 
and  the  Mind— Studies  m  Sunday  Schools  ,.  ,  377 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
SELF  CONTROL 

The  Will  of  Man— Self- Control  Necessary— Check  your  Words 
— Cease  your  Anger — Learn  to  Know  Ourselves— Let  us  Mind 
our  own  Business  ,  ...  406 

CHAPTER  XXIV 
OUR  FELXOW-MEN 

Love  Each  Other— Let  us  be  Merciful— Show  Chanty— Establish 
Confidence — Avoid  Contention — Do  not  Deal  Judgment — Respect 
for  Neighbors — Lady  and  Gentleman  Defined — The  Negro—- 
The Generous  Nature  .  ,  417 

CHAPTER  XXV 
UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION 

Be.of  One  Mind  and  One  Heart— Perfect  Oneness  will -Save 
a  Pec-pie— Unity  in  God's  Work,  the  Strength  of  Zion— Ad- 
vantage of  Temporal  Unity— Unity  Does  not  Mean  Individual 
Uniformity— the  Co-operative  Movement  .  433 


CONTENTS  xiii 

CHAPTER  XXVI 
THRIFT  1AND  INDUSTRY 

Faith  and  Works— Time  Should  be  Spent  Wisely—  Labor  In- 
dispensable—Let  Nothing  go  to  Waste— We  Must  be  a  Self- 
sustaining  People— The  Elements  of  Wealth  are  Around  US- 
Agriculture — Manufacturing — Commerce — Capital  and  Labor — 
Build  Good  Houses  and  Beautiful  Cities — Accumulate  Property 
—Debt 446 

CHAPTER  XXVII 
WEALTH 

Wealth  Belongs  to  the  Lord — Uncertainty  of  Temporal  Posses- 
sion?— The  Sin  of  Covetousness — True  Riches — Gold  is  not 
Wealth— How  to  Become  Wealthy— Wealth  Must  be  Used- 
Wealth  Brings  Happiness  Only  When  Used  fo-r  the  Gospel — 
Some  Dangers  of  Wealth— The  Poor  ..  468 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 
MISSIONARY  WORK 

The  Gospel  to  be  Preached  to  all  Men — Help  to  Save  Every 
Person — Words  to  Departing  Missionaries — Advice  to  Mission- 
aries in  the  Field — The  Returned  Missionary — The  Gospel  is 
Preached  with  Authority — The  Spirit,  not  Logic  or  Debate, 
Makes  Converts — Humility  and  Devotion,  the  Essentials — 
Preach  only  that  which  is  Known — Hints  to  Teachers. .  .  .  489 

CHAPTER  XXIX 
VISIONS,  MYSTERIES  AND  MIRACLES 

Visions  of  a  Personal  Matter — Leave  Alone  Mysteries — Provi- 
dences of  God,  all  Miracles — Miracles  for  Believers — Faith  not 
Dependent  on  Miracles -  ---  519 

CHAPTER  XXX 
TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION 

Trials  are  Necessary — Purpose  of  Persecution — Persecution 
May  be  Expected— Meet  Trials  Cheerfully— Cause  of  Persecu- 
tion—Disobedience Causes  Persecution— Result  of  Persecution 
—Cannot  Overtake  Falsehood— Danger  of  Persecuting  the 
Saints— Persecution  Comes  from  Efforts  of  Few..  . 529 


XIV  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXXI 
POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT 

Theocratic  Government — Republican  Government— God  and 
Go\  ernmeiils— Fitness  of  Ruleis— Labor  and  Politics— Saints 
and  Politics— -The  Constitution  of  U  S  an  Inspired  Document 
—The  Saints  Will  Yet  Sa\c  the  Constitution—Religions  Libcity 
Should  be  Observed— Opposed  to  Cot  nipt  Administrators  of 
Law— The  President  of  the  U  S— Political  Parties— States' 
Rights— Forebodings  of  the  Civil  War—War— Woman  Suffrage  543 

CHAPTER  XXXII 
DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION 

The  Body  Must  Return  to  Mother  Earth— Man  Should  Live  out 
His  Days— We  Should  Not  Mourn  for  the  Righteous  Dead— Our 
Identity  will  be  Preserved— -Our  Bodies  will  be  Resurrected— 
Jesus,  the  Fiist  Fruits  of  the  Resunection— The  Resurrected 
Body— Resurrection  Necessary  to  Full  Salvation  564 

CHAPTER  XXXIII 
THE  SPIRIT  WORLD 

All  go  to  the  Spirit  World— Where  is  the  Spirit  World— Labois 
in  the  Spirit  World—Life  in  the  Spirit  World  576 

CHAPTER  XXXIV 
ETERNAL  JUDGMENT 

Judgment  Accoidmg  to  Works— Honesty  in  Action  Will  Tem- 
per Judgment— Hell  Defined— The  Second  Death— Measure  of 
Human  Judgment  -  584 

CHAPTER  XXXV 
SALVATION 

Universal  Salvation— The  Way  to  Salvation— Salvation  an  In- 
dividual Work— Many  Degrees  of  Salvation— Exaltation  Pio- 
I  ortioned  to  Capacity—The  Celestial  Kingdom  ,  592 

CHAPTER  XXXVI 
TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD 

Saints  Always  Commanded  to  Build  Temples— Temples  Indis- 
pensable for  Higher  Ordinances — Endowments  Given  m  Tem- 
ples—Vicarious  Work  for  the  Dead  in  Temples— Who  Should 
Represent  the  Dead— Saviors  on  Mount  Zion— Powers  of  ftvil 
Opposed  to  Temple  Building— The  Salt  Lake  Temple— Address 
at  the  Laying  of  the  Corner  Stone  of  the  Salt  Lake  Temple- St. 
George  Temple  .  602 


CONTENTS  XV 

CHAPTER  XXXVII 
MAN'S  SEARCH  FOR  TRUTH  AND  SALVATION 

Man  Desires  Salvation — Humanity  Loves  Truth  and  Righteous- 
ness— Human  Family  Alike  in  Sentiments — A  Variety  of  Hu- 
man Gifts — Man's  Powers  aie  Limited — Man  Must  have  Confi- 
dence in  Himself — Man  Always  Dependent — We  Must  Fight 
Our  Battles — How  to  Know  Oneself — Our  Good  Character 
Must  be  Cherished— The  Need  of  Leaders—Duty  and  Responsi- 
bility of  Man 645 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
TESTIMONY  OF  THE  TRUTH 

All  Latter-day  Saints  May  Know  the  Gospel  is  True — How  a 
Witness  of  the  Truth  is  Won— Why  Some  Men  Reject  the  Gos- 
pel— Testimony  Not  Built  Upon  a  Man — Joseph  Smith  a  Wit- 
PCSS  of  the  Truth— A  Duty  to  Listen  to  the  Truth.  .  .  657 

CHAPTER  XXXIX 
THE  CHURCH  AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON  EARTH 

Israel — The  Church  and  the  Kingdom — An  Object  of  the 
Church— The  Kingdom  of  God  to  Develop  Giadtially— The  Ef- 
fect of  the  Kingdom  of  God — It  Will  Continue — The  Business 
of  Latter-day  Saints — Individual  Labor  Required  in  the  King- 
dom of  God — The  Kingdom  of  God  or  Nothing.  ....  669 

CHAPTER  XL 

SOME  EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

The  Nature  of  the  Gospel — Some  of  the  Effects  of  the  Gospel — 
His  Personal  Joy  in  the  Gospel — Blessings  Continued  Upon 
Goad  Works— Increasing  Blessings— Personal  Blessings  Upon 
the  People 682 

CHAPTER  X3LI 

JOSEPH  SMITH  THE  PROPHET 

Joseph  Smith,  a  Prophet  of  God — Joseph  Called  and  Directed  by 
God — The  Development  of  the  Prophet — What  Joseph  Taught 
— Results  of  the  Prophet's  Labors — Persecutions  of  the  Prophet 
— The  Prophet  Harassed  by  Law-suits — Joseph  of  Good  Char- 
acter—Why the  Prophet  was  Killed— Joseph's  Work  in  the 
Spirit  World— Nature  of  the  Prophet  and  His  Family— The 
Twelve,  the  Successors  of  the  Prophet— Some  Sayings  of  the 

Prophet 700 

CHAPTER  XLII 

THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST 

The  Journey  Across  the  Plains — The  Mormon  Battalion — Set- 
tlement in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley 722 


Discourses  -  of  Brigham  Young 


CHAPTER  1 
THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED 

Composed  of  Eternal  Laws — The  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God  that  has  been  revealed  is  a  plan  or  system  of  laws  and 
ordinances,  by  strict  obedience  to  which  the  people  who 
inhabit  this  earth  are  assured  that  they  may  return  again 
into  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  13 :233.* 

The  laws  of  the  Gospel  are  neither  more  nor  less  than 
a  few  of  the  principles  of  eternity  'revealed  to  the  people, 
by  which  they  can  return  to  heaven  from  whence  they 
came.  We  delight  in  the  heavenly  law — in  that  law  that 
will  preserve  us  to  all  eternity.  8  208. 

The  laws  and  ordinances  which  the  Lord  has  revealed 
in  these  latter  days,  are  calculated  to  save  all  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Adam  and  Eve  who  have  not  sinned  against 
the  Holy  Ghost,  for  all  will  be  saved  in  a  kingdom  of  glory, 
though  it  may  not  be  in  the  celestial  kingdom/ for  there 
are  many  mansions.  IS  :122. 

Our  religion  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  true 
order  of  heaven — the  system  of  laws  by  which  the  gods 
and  the  angels  are  governed.  Are  they  governed  by  law? 
Certainly.  There  is  no  being  in  all  the  eternities  but  what 
is  governed  by  law.  Who  desires  to  have  liberty  and  no 
law?  They  who  are  from  beneath.  14:280. 


*The  numbers  at  the  end  of  each  excerpt  refer  to  the  volume  and 
page  of  the  Journal  of  Discourses.  Where  the  excerpt  occurs  thus, 
13 :233,  it  means  Journal  of  Discourses,  volume  13,  page  233, 


2  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGIIAM  YOUNG 

Our  religion,  in  common  with  everything  of  which  God 
is  the  Author,  is  a  system  of  law  and  order  He  has  in- 
stituted laws  and  ordinances  for  the  government  and  bene- 
fit of  the  children  of  men,  to  see  if  they  would  obey  them 
and  prove  themselves  woithy  of  eternal  life  by  the  law 
of  the  celestial  worlds  This  holy  Pncsthood  that  we  talk 
about  is  a  perfect  system  of  government  By  obedience  to 
these  laws  we  expect  to  enter  the  celestial  kingdom  and  to 
be  exalted  14.95. 

The  principles  of  truth  and  goodness,  and  of  eternal 
lives  and  the  pOA\er  of  God  are  horn  eternity  to  eternity. 
The  principle  of  falsehood  and  wickedness,  the  power  of 
the  Devil  and  the  power  of  death  are  also  fiom  eternity  to 
eternity.  These  two  powers  have  ever  existed  and  always 
will  exist  in  all  the  eteimties  that  are  yet  to  come.  11  234 

Embraces  All  Truth— Our  religion  mcasuies,  weighs, 
and  circumscribes  all  the  wisdom  in  the  world — all  that 
God  has  ever  revealed  to  man.  God  has  revealed  all  the 
truth  that  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  world,  whether 
it  be  scientific  or  religious  The  whole  world  are  under 
obligation  to  him  for  what  they  know  and  enjoy ;  they  are 
indebted  to  him  for  it  all,  and  I  acknowledge  him  in  all 
things  8:162 

I  want  to  say  to  my  friends  that  we  believe  in  all  good. 
If  you  can  find  a  truth  in  heaven,  earth  or  hell,  it  belongs 
to  our  doctrine.  We  believe  it;  it  is  ours;  we  claim  it. 
13-335 

In  a  word,  if  "Mtormonism"  is  not  my  life,  I  do  not  know 
that  I  have  any.  I  do  not  understand  anything  else,  for  it 
embraces  everything  that  comes  within  the  range  of  the 
understanding  of  man.  If  it  does  not  circumscribe  every- 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  3 

thing  that  is  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  it  is  not  what  it 
purports  to  be.  2:123, 

Our  religion  is  simply  the  truth.  It  is  all  said  in  this 
one  expression— it  embraces  all  truth,  wherever  found,  in 
all  the  works  of  God  and  man  that  are  visible  or  invisible  to 
mortal  eye.  10:251. 

The  Gospel  is  simple,  it  is  plain. 

There  is  no  mystery  throughout  the  whole  plan  of  sal- 
vation, only  to  those  who  do  not  understand  3  -367 

"Mormonism"  embraces  all  truth  that  is  revealed  and 
that  is  unrevealed,  whether  religious,  political,  scientific, 
01  philosophical.  9:149. 

It  comprehends  all  true  science  known  by  man,  angels, 
and  the  gods.  There  is  one  true  system  and  science  of 
life,  all  else  tends  to  death.  That  system  emanates  from 
the  Fountain  of  life  8  70. 

True  science,  true  art  and  true  knowledge  comprehend 
all  that  are  in  heaven  or  on  the  earth,  or  in  all  the  eternities. 
By  these  all  beings  exist,  whether  they  be  celestial,  terres- 
tial  or  telcstial ;  or  whether  they  are  from  beneath  and  dwell 
with  the  devils  among  the  damned.  All  truth  is  ours, 
14-281 

"Where  is  your  code,  your  particular  creed?"  says  one 
It  fills  eternity;  it  is  all  truth  in  heaven,  on  earth  or  in 
hell.  This  is  "Mormonism."  It  embraces  every  true  sci- 
ence; all  true  philosophy.  14:280. 

The  philosophy  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  of  the 
worlds  that  are,  that  were,  and  that  are  yet  to  come  into 
existence,  -is  all  m  the  Gospel  that  we  have  embraced. 
Every  true  philosopher,  so  far  as  he  understands  the  prin* 
ciples  of  truth,  has  so  much  of  the  Gospel,  and  so  far  he  is 
a  Latter-day  Saint,  whether  he  knows  it  or  not.  Our 


4  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Father,  the  great  God,  is  the  author  of  the  sciences,  he  is 
the  great  mechanic,  he  is  the  systematizer  of  all  things,  he 
plans  and  devises  all  things,  and  every  particle  of  knowl- 
edge which  man  has  in  his  possession  is  the  gift  o£  God, 
whether  they  consider  it  divine,  or  whether  it  is  the  wisdom 
of  man,  it  belongs  to  God,  and  he  has  bestowed  it  upon 
us,  his  children  dwelling  here  upon  the  earth  18 :359. 

A  fact  is  a  fact,  all  truth  issues  forth  from  the  Fountain 
of  truth,  and  the  sciences  are  facts  as  far  as  men  have 
proved  them.  14:117. 

"Mormonism,"  so-called,  embraces  every  principle  per- 
taining to  life  and  salvation,  for  time  and  eternity.  No 
matter  who  has  it.  If  the  infidel  has  got  truth  it  belongs 
to  "Mormonism."  The  truth  and  sound  doctrine  possessed 
by  the  sectarian  world,  and  they  have  a  great  deal,  all 
belongs  to  this  Chuich  As  for  their  morality,  many  of  them 
are,  morally,  just  as  good  as  we  are.  All  that  is  good,  lovely, 
and  praiseworthy  belongs  to  this  Church  and  Kingdom. 
"Mormonism"  includes  all  truth.  There  is  no  truth  but 
what  belongs  to  the  Gospel.  It  is  life,  eternal  life;  it  us 
bliss;  it  is  the  fulness  of  all  things  in  the  gods  and  in  the 
eternities  of  the  gods.  11:375. 

,We  wish  to  frame,  fashion  and  build  after  the  pattern 
that  God  has  revealed ;  and  in  doing  so  we  take  all  the  laws, 
rules,  ordinances  and  regulations  contained  in  the  Scrip- 
tures and  practice  them  as  far  as  possible,  and  then  keep 
learning  and  improving  until  we  can  live  by  every  word 
that  proceeds  out  of  the  mouth  of  God.  13 :238. 

The  Lord  reveals  a  little  here  and  a  little  there,  line 
upon  line,  and  he  will  continue  to  do  so  until  we  can  reach 
into  eternity  and  embrace  a  fulness  of  his  glory,  excellency 
and  power.  13  ;241. 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  5 

Truth  will  endure  for  ever  and  for  ever,  and  every  man 
that  preaches  the  Gospel  of  salvation  may  take  the  old  text 
that  some  of  us  took  in  the  commencement  of  the  building 
up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth  in  the  last  days. 
I  took  truth  for  my  text,  salvation  for  my  subject,  and  the 
whole  world  for  my  circuit,  to  go  as  far  as  I  could  and  talk 
all  I  could  about  it  It  takes  every  truth  from  every  sect 
and  party.  What !  in  a  civil  capacity  also  ?  Yes,  All  law, 
all  powers,  all  kingdoms,  and  all  thrones,— in  fine,  all  things 
are  under  the  control  of  God.  7:148. 

When  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  is  introduced 
among  the  children  of  men,  it  comes  with  light  and  intelli- 
gence, with  pure  and  holy  principles.  It  embraces  all 
morality,  all  virtue,  all  light,  all  intelligence,  all  greatness, 
and  all  goodness  It  introduces  a  system  of  laws  and 
ordinances  and  a  code  of  moral  rectitude  which,  if  obeyed 
by  the  human  family,  will  lead  them  back  to  the  presence 
of  God  11-235. 

For  me,  the  plan  of  salvation  must  be  a  system  that  is 
pure  and  holy  in  all  its  points;  it  must  reveal  things  that 
no  other  church  or  kingdom  can  reveal;  it  must  circum- 
scribe the  knowledge  that  is  upon  the  face  of  the  earth, 
or  it  is  not  from  God.  Such  a  plan  incorporates  every 
system  of  true  doctrine  on  the  earth,  whether  it  be  eccle- 
siastical, moral,  philosophical,  or  civil;  it  incorporates  all 
good  laws  that  have  been  made  from  the  days  of  Adam 
until  now;  it  swallows  up  the  laws  of  nations,  for  it  ex- 
ceeds them  all  in  knowledge  and  purity,  it  circumscribes 
the  doctrines  of  the  day,  and  takes  from  the  right  and  the 
left,  and  brings  all  truth  together  in  one  system,  and  leaves 
the  chaff  to  be  scattered  hither  and  thither.  That  is  the 
proof  to  me,  and  has  been  from  the  beginning,  that  the 


6  DISCOURSES  OF  BMGHAM  YOUNG 

principles  are  pure  and  holy,  and  every  person  living  to 
them  will  attain  through  them  sanctification  7 -148 

I  will  tell  you  who  the  real  fanatics  are  they  are  they 
who  adopt  false  principles  and  ideas  as  facts,  and  try  to 
establish  a  superstructure  upon  a  false  foundation,  They 
are  the  fanatics;  and  however  aident  and  zealous  they  may 
be,  they  may  reason  or  argue  on  false  premises  till  dooms- 
day, and  the  lesult  will  be  false  13 .271. 

Increasing  Knowledge  of  Gospel— I  want  to  say  that 
we  are  foi  the  tiuth,  the  whole  truth  and  nothing  but  the 
truth;  we  are  pursuing  the  path  of  truth,  and  by  and  by 
we  expect  to  possess  a  great  deal  more  than  we  do  now; 
but  to  say  that  we  shall  ever  possess  all  truth,  I  pause ;  I 
do  not  know  when  14:196, 

The  laws  that  the  Lord  has  given  are  not  fully  pei  feet, 
because  the  people  could  not  receive  them  in  their  perfect 
fulness ;  but  they  can  receive  a  little  here  and  a  little  there, 
a  little  today  and  a  little  tomonow,  a  little  moie  next  week, 
and  a  little  more  in  advance  of  that  next  year,  if  they  make 
a  wise  improvement  upon  every  little  they  receive ,  if  they 
do  not,  they  are  left  in  the  shade,  and  the  light  which  the 
Lord  reveals  will  appeal  daikness  to  them,  and  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  will  tiavel  on  and  leave  them  groping. 
Hence,  if  we  wish  to  act  upon  the  fulness  of  the  knowledge 
that  the  Loid  designs  to  reveal,  little  by  little,  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  eailh,  we  must  improve  upon  every  little 
as  it  is  revealed.  2  314 

W'e  know  enough  to  damn  us,  and  when  we  know 
enough  for  that,  we  know  enough  to  save  us,  if  that  knowl- 
edge is  improved  upon  6  198. 

Holds  Power  of  Priesthood— The  Gospel  which  we 
preach  is  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation.  The  Chinch 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  7 

which  we  represent  is  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God, 
and  possesses  the  only  faith  by  which  the  children  of  men 
can  be  brought  back  into  the  presence  of  our  Father  and 
God  The  Lord  has  set  his  hands  to  restore  all  things  as 
m  the  beginning,  and  by  the  administration  of  his  holy 
Priesthood,  save  all  who  can  be  saved,  cleanse  from  the 
world  the  consequences  of  the  Fall  and  give  it  to  the  hands 
of  his  Saints 

The  Gospel  of  salvation — the  Priesthood  of  the  Son  of 
God — is  so  ordered  and  organized,  in  the  very  nature  of  it, 
being  a  portion  of  that  law  of  heaven  by  which  worlds  are 
organized,  that  it  is  calculated  to  enlighten  the  children  of 
men  and  give  them  power  to  save  themselves.  It  is  of  the 
same  nature  as  the  further  principles  of  eternal  existence 
by  which  the  worlds  are  and  were,  and  by  which  they  will 
endure;  and  these  principles  are  pure  in  their  nature,  from 
the  fact  that  they  are  of  God,  who  is  pure;  but,  without 
the  revelation  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  no  man  can  understand 
them.  That  is  the  peculiarity  there  is  about  this  mysteii- 
ous  work.  7 .54. 

The  power  of  all  truth  dwells  in  the  bosom,  of  our 
Father  and  God,  which  he  dispenses  to  his  children  as  he 
will,  by  the  means  of  his  eternal  Priesthood.  He  is  en- 
throned m  the  light,  glory  and  power  of  truth.  He  has 
abided  the  truth,  and  is  thereby  exalted,  and  his  power, 
light  and  glory  are  eternal.  The  Gospel  and  the  Priest- 
hood are  the  means  he  employs  to  save  and  exalt  his  obedi- 
ent children  to  the  possession  with  him  of  the  same  glory 
and  power  to  be  crowned  with  crowns  of  glory,  immortal- 
ity and  eternal  lives.  9 :330. 

Now,  'we  say  to  the  people  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
and  we  speak  the  truth  and  lie  not,  whosoever  believes  that 


8  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  was  a  Prophet  sent  of  God,  and  was 
ordained  by  him  to  leceive  and  hold  the  keys  of  the  holy 
Priesthood,  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  power  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth, 
to  gather  the  House  of  Israel,  to  guide  all  who  believe  and 
obey  to  redemption,  to  restore  that  which  has  been  lost 
through  transgression — whosoever  believes  this,  believing 
in  the  Lord,  and  obeying  his  commandments  to  the  end 
of  their  lives,  their  names  shall  not  be  blotted  out  of  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life,  and  they  shall  receive  crowns  of  glory, 
immortality,  and  eternal  life  This  is  for  the  nineteenth 
century,  for  the  generation  of  people  now  living.  12:10L 

The  Gospel  of  Life  and  Salvatidn — We  have  something 
more  than  morality  alone  to  teach  the  people.  "What  is 
it?  It  is  how  to  redeem  the  human  family.  19.47. 

I  will  now  say  to  my  friends,— and  I  call  you  all,  and 
all  mankind,  friends,  until  you  have  proved  yourselves 
enemies, — you  who  do  not  belong  to  this  Church,  that  we 
have  got  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  I  do  not  say  that 
we  have  a  Gospel,  but  I  say  that  we  have  the  definite  and 
only  Gospel  that  ever  was  or  ever  will  be  that  will  save 
the  children  of  men,  12:313. 

It  Takes  the  Whole  Man  to  Make  a  Saint— There  are  no 
exceptions  in  "Mormomsm."  Learn  so  to  think  and  direct 
your  acts  in  every  transaction  of  life,  that  we  may  over- 
come the  evil  that  is  sown  within  us.  Overcome  the  inward 
enemy;  then  we  can  overcome  the  Devil's  kingdom.  And 
while  others  choose  evil  principles  and  build  upon  a  founda- 
tion which  leads  to  destruction,  let  us  build  upon  the  prin- 
ciples of  eternal  salvation,  as  we  have  striven  to  do  all  the 
daylong.  7*66. 

The  doctrines  of  salvation  are  the  same  now  as  they 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  9 

were  in  the  days  of  Adam,  or  Elijah,  or  Jesus,  when  he  was 
upon  the  earth  5 :229. 

We  have  brought  the  doctrine  of  life  and  salvation  to 
you,  that  you  may  exchange  your  low,  narrow,  contracted, 
selfish  dispositions  for  the  ennobling  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  for 
the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel,  which  gives  joy  and  peace.  If  you 
enjoy  that,  your  food  will  be  sweet  to  you,  your  sleep  will 
be  refreshing,  and  your  days  will  pass  away  in  usefulness 
3.119. 

We  have  as  good  a  right  to  adopt  tenets  in  our  religion 
as  the  Church  of  England,  or  the  Methodists,  or  Baptists, 
or  any  other  denomination  have  in  theirs.  Our  doctrine  is 
a  Bible  doctrine,  a  patriarchal  doctrine,  and  is  the  doctrine 
of  the  gods  of  eternity,  and  of  the  heavens,  and  was  re- 
vealed to  our  fathers  on  the  earth,  and  will  save  the  world 
at  last.  2:187. 

The  revelations  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  are  sweeter 
than  honey  or  the  honeycomb.  We  can  eat,  and  continue 
to  eat ;  drink,  and  continue  to  drink.  Is  there  durable  satis- 
faction?  Yes.  I  am  in  the  height  of  my  enjoyment.  All 
the  pleasure  and  all  the  joy  that  can  be  bestowed  upon  a 
finite  being  is  in  the  Gospel  of  salvation,  through  the  Spirit 
of  revelation,  upon  the  creature — upon  the  Saint  of  God — 
old  or  young,  male  or  female.  Not  that  this  comparison 
fully  conveys  the  idea ;  for  the  language  of  mortals  fails  to 
fully  portray  the  joys  of  the  Gospel  of  life  everlasting. 
8:139. 

We  have  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation,  to  make  bad 
men  good  and  good  men  better.  We  are  to  preach,  exhort 
expound,  continue  in  our  duty,  be  fervent  in  spirit,  bearing 
and  forbearing  with  our  brethren,  being  filled  with  love 
and  kindness.  8:130. 


10  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

There  is  no  freedom  anywhere  outside  the  Gospel  of 
salvation.  5  '52. 

Offers  Salvation  tos  All— A  few  here  and  a  few  there 
will  receive  the  truth,  and  the  Lord  will  empty  the  eaith  of 
the  wickedness  that  now  dwells  upon  it  8.195. 

The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  opening  avenue—- 
the open  gate  in  the  load  or  way  from  earth  to  heaven, 
through  which  direct  revelation  comes  to  the  children  of 
men  in  their  vaiious  capacities,  according  to  their  callings 
and  standing  in  the  society  m  which  they  live.  The  Gospel 
of  salvation  is  a  poition  of  the  law  that  pertains  to  the 
kingdom  where  God  resides,  and  the  ordinances  pertain- 
ing to  the  holy  Priesthood  aie  the  means  by  which  the 
children  of  men  find  access  to  the  way  of  life,  wherein  they 
can  extend  their  travels  until  they  retmn  to  the  piesence 
of  their  Father  and  God.  8  159 

"But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  power 
to  continue  to  be  the  sons  of  God."  Instead  of  receiving 
the  Gospel  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  my  language  would 
be — to  receive  the  Gospel  that  we  may  continue  to  be  the 
sons  of  God.  Are  we  not  all  sons  of  God  when  we  are 
born  into  this  world?  Old  Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt,  was 
just  as  much  a  son  of  God  as  Moses  and  Aaron  wetc  his 
sons,  with  this  difference—he  rejected  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  the  true  light,  and  they  received  it  For  "this  is  the 
condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men 
love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are 
evil  "  Then  we  receive  not  the  Gospel  that  we  may  become 
the  sons  of  God  but  that  we  may  remain  the  sons  of  God 
without  rebuke.  Inasmuch  as  all  had  apostatized,  they  had 
to  become  the  sons  of  God  by  adoption,  still,  originally,  alt 
were  the  sons  of  God.  We  receive  the  Gospel,  not  that  we 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  11 

may  have  our  names  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life, 
but  that  our  names  may  not  be  blotted  out  of  that  book. 
"For,"  saith  the  Lord,  "He  that  overcometh,  the  same  shall 
be  clothed  m  white  raiment,  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name 
out  of  the  book  of  life "  Why?  Because  he  had  overcome 
through  his  faithfulness  My  doctrine  is — that  there  never 
was  a  son  and  daughter  of  Adam  and  Eve  born  on  this 
earth  whose  names  were  not  already  written  in  the  Lamb's 
book  of  life,  and  there  they  will  remain  until  their  conduct 
is  such  that  the  angel  who  keeps  the  record  is  authorized 
to  blot  them  out  and  record  them  elsewhere  12:100-101. 

In  conveisation  not  long  since  with  a  visitor  who  was 
about  returning  to  the  Eastein  States,  said  he,  "You,  as 
a  people,  consider  that  you  are  perfect?"  "Oh,  no,"  said  I, 
"not  by  any  means.  Let  me  define  to  you.  The  doctrine 
that  we  have  embraced  is  perfect,  but  when  we  come  to 
the  people,  we  have  just  as  many  imperfections  as  you  can 
ask  for.  We  are  not  perfect ;  but  the  Gospel  that  we  preach 
is  calculated  to  perfect  the  people  so  that  they  can  obtain 
a  glorious  resurrection  and  enter  into  the  presence  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son."  11:304. 

Our  motive  is  to  make  every  man  and  woman  to  know 
just  as  much  as  we  do;  this  is  the  plan  of  the  Gospel,  and 
this  is  what  I  would  like  to  do.  I  would  like  all  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  to  come  up  to  this  standard,  and  know  as  much 
as  I  do,  and  then  just  as  much  more  as  they  can  learn,  and 
if  they  can  get  ahead  of  me,  all  right  19  96, 

We  declare  it  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  from 
the  valleys  in  the  tops  of  these  mountains  that  we  are  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints — not  a  church 
but  the  Church — and  we  have  the  doctrine  of  life  and  sal- 
vation for  all  the  honest-in-heart  in  all  the  world.  12  173 


12  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

This  Gospel  will  save  the  whole  human  family;  the 
blood  of  Jesus  will  atone  foi  our  sins,  if  we  accept  the  teims 
he  has  laid  down ;  but  we  must  accept  those  terms  or  else 
it  will  avail  nothing  in  our  behalf, 

A  Guide  in  Daily  Life— I  reduce  the  Gospel  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  circumstances  and  condition  of  the  people.  lO'l. 

That  system  that  brings  present  security  and  peace  is 
the  best  to  live  by,  and  the  best  to  die  by ;  it  is  the  best  for 
doing-  business,  it  is  the  best  for  making  fauns,  for  building 
cities  and  temples,  and  that  system  is  the  law  of  God,  But 
it  requires  strict  obedience.  The  rule  of  right,  and  the 
line  which  God  has  drawn  for  the  people  to  walk  by  insures 
peace,  comfort,  and  happiness  now  and  eternal  glory  and 
exaltation;  but  nothing  short  of  strict  obedience  to  God's 
law  will  do  this  13  241. 

We  do  not  allow  ourselves  to  go  into  a  field  to  plough 
without  taking  our  religion  with  us ;  we  do  not  go  into  an 
office,  behind  the  counter  to  deal  out  goods,  into  a  count- 
ing house  with  the  books,  or  anywhere  to  attend  to  01  trans- 
act any  business  without  taking  our  icligion  with  us.  If 
we  are  railroading  or  on  a  pleasure  trip  our  God  and  our 
religion  must  be  with  us.  We  are  the  most  religious  people 
in  the  world;  but  we  are  not  so  enthusiastic  as  some  are. 
We  have  seen  plenty  of  enthusiasm,  but  we  do  not  caie 
about  it.  Said  I,  "This  shouting  and  singing  one's  self 
away  to  everlasting  bliss,  may  be  all  very  well  in  its  place, 
but  this  alone  is  folly  to  me;  my  religion  is  to  know  the 
will  of  God  and  do  it."  14  118, 

With  God,  and  also  with  those  who  understand  the 
principles  of  life  and  salvation,  the  Priesthood,  the  oracles 
of  truth  and  the  gifts  and  callings  of  God  to  the  children 
of  men,  there  is  no  difference  in  spiritual  and  temporal 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  13 

labors — all  are  one.  If  I  am  in  the  line  of  my  duty,  I  am 
doing  the  will  of  God,  whether  I  am  preaching,  praying, 
laboring  with  my  hands  for  an  honorable  support ,  whether 
I  am  m  the  field,  mechanic's  shop,  or  following  mercantile 
business,  or  wherever  duty  calls,  I  am  serving  God  as  much 
in  one  place  as  another;  and  so  it  is  with  all,  each  in  his 
place,  turn  and  time.  13 :260. 

Our  religion  descends  to  the  whole  life  of  man,  although 
some,  sometimes,  say,  there  is  divine  law,  there  is  human 
law,  and  there  are  principles  which  pertain  to  our  religion 
and  there  are  principles  which  pertain  to  the  philosophy  of 
the  world  But  let  me  here  say  to  you,  that  the  philosophy 
of  the  religion  of  heaven  incorporates  every  truth  that  there 
is  in  heaven,  on  earth,  or  in  hell.  15 .125. 

My  mission  to  trie  people  is  to  teach  them  with  regard 
to  their  every-day  lives,  I  presume  there  are  many  here 
who  have  heard  me  say,  years  and  years  ago,  that  I  cared 
very  little  about  what  will  take  place  after  the  Millennium. 
Elders  may  preach  long  discourses  concerning  what  took 
place  in  the  days  of  Adam,  what  occurred  before  the  crea- 
tion, and  what  will  take  place  thousands  of  years  from  now, 
talking  of  things  which  have  occurred  or  that  will  occur 
yet,  of  which  they  are  ignorant,  feeding  the  people  on  wind; 
but  that  is  not  my  method  of  teaching.  My  desire  is  to 
teach  the  people  what  they  should  do  now,  and  let  the  Mil- 
lennium take  care  of  itself.  To  teach  them  to  serve  God 
and  to  build  up  his  Kingdom  is  my  mission.  I  have  taught 
faith,  repentance,  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  the 
laying  on  of  hands  for  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  We 
are  to  be  taught  with  regard  to  our  every-day  life  in  a  tem- 
poral point  of  view.  12:228. 

Our  religion  incorporates  every  act  and  word  of  man. 


14  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

No  man  should  go  to  merchandising  unless  he  docs  it  in 
God;  no  man  should  go  to  fanning  or  any  other  business 
unless  he  does  it  in  the  Lord.  No  man  of  council  should 
sit  to  judge  the  people  but  what  should  judge  in  the  Lord, 
that  he  may  righteously  and  impartially  discern  between 
right  and  wrong,  truth  and  error,  light  and  daikness,  jus- 
tice and  injustice  Should  any  legislature  sit  without  the 
Lord?  If  it  do,  sooner  or  later  it  will  fall  to  pieces  No 
nation  ever  did  live  that  counseled  and  tian.sactcd  its  na- 
tional affairs  without  the  Loid,  but  what  soonei  01  latei 
went  to  pieces  and  came  to  naught.  The  same  is  true  of 
all  the  nations  that  now  live  or  ever  will  live  13  60. 

This  Gospel  is  full  of  good  sense,  judgment,  disci  etion 
and  intelligence.  14:17. 

No  matter  how  true  and  beautiful  truth  is,  you  have  to 
take  the  passions  of  the  people  and  mould  them  to  the  law 
of  God.  7:55. 

A  Fountain  of  Truth— The  Gospel  is  a  fountain  of  truth, 
and  truth  is  what  we  are  after.  We  have  embraced  the 
truth— namely,  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  Its  first  prin- 
ciples are  to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  repent  of 
our  sins,  then  go  down  into  the  waters  of  baptism  for  the 
remission  of  our  sins,  and  have  hands  laid  upon  us  for  the 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  will  lead  us  into  all 
truth  12-68 

Truth  will  abide  when  eiror  passes  away  Life  will 
remain  when  they  who  have  i ejected  the  words  of  eternal 
life  are  swallowed  up  in  death  I  like  the  truth  because  it 
is  true,  because  it  is  lovely  and  delightful,  because  it  is  so 
glorious  in  its  nature,  and  so  worthy  the  admiration,  faith 
and  consideration  of  all  intelligent  beings  in  heaven  or  on 
the  earth.  Should  I  be  hated  and  my  name  cast  out  as 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  15 

evil  because  I  love  the  truth?  Yes,  or  the  words  of  Jesus 
could  not  be  fulfilled,  for  he  said,  "Ye  shall  be  hated  of  all 
men  for  my  name's  sake  "  He  told  his  disciples  to  rejoice 
evermore  and  to  pray  without  ceasing  when  they  were  held 
in  derision  by  their  enemies,  and  to  lift  up  their  heads  and 
rejoice  when  all  men  spoke  evil  of  them,  for  "behold  your 
redemption  draweth  mgh."  13  216. 

To  me  it  is  more  rational  for  an  intelligent  being  to 
embrace  truth,  than  it  is  to  mix  up  a  little  truth  with  a 
great  deal  of  error,  or  to  embrace  all  error  and  undertake 
to  follow  a  phantom  13 :235. 

Some  who  call  themselves  Christians  are  very  tenacious 
with  regard  to  the  Universalians,  yet  the  latter  possess 
many  excellent  ideas  and  good  truths  Have  the  Catholics? 
Yes,  a  great  many  very  excellent  truths.  Have  the  Protest- 
ants? Yes,  from  first  to  last.  Has  the  infidel ?  Yes,  he 
has  a  good  deal  of  truth;  and  truth  is  all  over  the  earth 
The  earth  could  not  stand  but  for  the  light  and  truth  it 
contains.  The  people  could  not  abide  were  it  not  that  truth 
holds  them.  It  is  the  Fountain  of  truth  that  feeds,  clothes, 
and  gives  light  and  intelligence  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth,  no  matter  whether  they  are  saints  or  sinners.  Do 
you  think  there  is  any  truth  in  hell?  Yes,  a  great  deal,  and 
where  truth  is  there  we  calculate  the  Lord  has  a  right  to  be. 
You  will  not  find  the  Lord  where  there  is  no  truth.  12  70. 

If  you  love  the  truth  you  can  remember  it     3 :358 

Again,  what  do  you  love  truth  for?1  Is  it  because  you 
can  discover  a  beauty  in  it,  because  it  is  congenial  to  you , 
or  because  you  think  it  will  make  you  a  ruler,  or  a  Lord? 
If  you  conceive  that  you  will  attain  to  power  upon  such  a 
motive,  you  are  much  mistaken  It  is  a  trick  of  the  unseen 
power,  that  is  abroad  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 


16  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  leads  them  astray ,(  binds  their  minds,  and  subverts 
their  understanding 

Suppose  that  our  Father  in  heaven,  our  Eldci  Brother, 
the  risen  Redeemer,  the  Savior  of  the  woild,  or  any  of 
the  gods  of  eternity  should  act  upon  this  principle,  to  Ipve 
truth,  knowledge,  and  wisdom,  because  they  are  all  power- 
ful, and  by  the  aid  of  this  power  they  could  send  devils  to 
hell,  torment  the  people  of  the  earth,  exercise  soveicignty 
over  them,  and  make  them  miserable  at  their  pleasure ;  they 
would  cease  to  be  Gods,  and  as  fast  as  they  adopted  and 
acted  upon  such  principles,  they  would  become  devils,  and 
be  thrust  down  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye ;  the  extension  of 
their  kingdom  would  cease,  and  their  Godhead  come  to  an 
end. 

No  man  can  disprove  a  truth.   8-132. 

What  do  you  know  on  natural  principles?  I  do  not  say 
natural  philosophy,  because  my  religion  is  natural  philos- 
ophy. You  never  heard  me  preach  a  doctrine  but  what 
has  a  natural  system  to  it,  and,  when  understood,  is  as  easy 
to  comprehend  as  that  two  and  two  equal  four  All  the 
revelations  of  the  Lord  Almighty  to  the  children  of  men, 
and  all  revealed  doctrines  of  salvation  are  upon  natural 
principles,  upon  natural  philosophy,  When  I  use  this  term, 
I  use  it  as  synonomous  with  the  plan  of  salvation ;  natural 
philosophy  is  the  plan  of  salvation,  and  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion is  natural  philosophy.  4  '202. 

Our  doctrine  and  practice  is,  and  I  have  made  it  mine 
through  life — to  receive  truth  no  matter  where  it  comes 
from,  14*160 

When  we  demonstrate  a  truth,  we  demonstrate  a  por- 
tion of  the  faith,  law,  or  power  by  which  all  intelligent  be- 
ings exist,  whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  consequently 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  17 

when  we  have  truth  in  our  possession  we  have  so  much  of 
the  knowledge  of  God,  I  delight  in  this,  because  truth  is 
calculated  to  sustain  itself;  it  is  based  upon  eternal  facts 
and  will  endure,  while  all  else  will,  sooner  or  later,  perish, 
14.115. 

All  truth  is  worthy  and  worth  possessing.    19 .39. 

How  easy  it  is  to  live  by  the  truth.  Did  you  ever  think 
of  it,  my  friends ?  Did  you  ever  think  of  it,  my  brethren 
and  sisters?  In  every  circumstance  of  life,  no  matter 
whether  among  the  humble  or  lofty,  truth  is  always  the 
surest  guide  and  the  easiest  to  square  our  lives  by.  14 :76. 

Be  willing  to  receive  the  truth,  let  it  come  from  whom 
it  may ;  no  difference,  not  a  particle.  Just  as  soon  receive 
the  Gospel  from  Joseph  Smith  as  from  Peter,  who  lived  m 
the  days  of  Jesus.  Receive  it  from  one  man  as  soon  as 
another  If  God  has  called  an  individual  and  sent  him  to 
preach  the  Gospel  that  is  enough  for  me  to  know ;  it  is  no 
matter  who  it  is,  all  I  want  is  to  know  the  truth.  14:136. 

All  truth  is  for  the  salvation  of  the  children  of  men — 
for  the  benefit  and  learning— for  their  furtherance  in  the 
principles  of  divine  knowledge,  and  divine  knowledge  is 
any  matter  of  fact — truth ;  and  all  truth  pertains  to  divinity. 
7:284 

We  Need  a  Practical  Religion — I  am  preaching  to  you 
practical  religion.  13:155. 

I  am  decidedly  in  favor  of  practical  religion — of  every- 
day useful  life.  And  if  I  today  attend  to  what  devolves 
upon  me  to  do,  and  then  do  that  which  presents  itself  to- 
morrow, and  so  on,  when  eternity  comes  I  will  be  prepared 
to  enter  on  the  things  of  eternity.  But  I  would  not  be 
prepared  for  that  sphere  of  action,  unless  I  could  manage 


18  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  things  that  aie  now  within  my  reach  You  must  all 
learn  to  do  this  5.3, 

I  still  feel  to  uige  upon  the  Latter-day  Saints  the  neces- 
sity of  a  close  application  of  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  m 
our  lives,  conduct  and  words  and  a'l  that  we  do;  and  it 
requires  the  whole  man,  the  whole  life  to  be  devoted  to 
improvement  in  order  to  come  to  knowledge  of  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ  Herein  is  the  fulness  of  perfection 
It  was  couched  m  the  chaiacter  of  our  Savior,  although  but 
a  scanty  poition  of  it  was  made  manifest  to  the  people,  in 
consequence  of  their  not  being  able  to  receive  it  All  they 
were  prepared  to  receive  he  gave  them  All  we  are  pre- 
pared to  receive  the  Lord  gives  us;  all  that  the  nations  of 
the  earth  are  prepaicd  to  receive  he  imparts  unto  them, 
12  255-256 

On  reading  carefully  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  we 
can  discover  that  the  majority  of  the  revelations  given  to 
mankind  anciently  were  in  regard  to  their  daily  duties ;  we 
follow  in  the  same  path  The  revelations  contained  in  the 
Bible  and  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  examples  to  us,  and  the 
book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  contains  direct  revelation 
to  this  Church ,  they  are  a  guide  to  us,  and  we  do  not  wish 
to  do  them  away;  we  do  not  want  them  to  become  obsolete 
and  to  set  them  aside.  We  wish  to  continue  in  the  revela- 
tions of  the  Loi  d  Jesus  Christ  day  by  day,  and  to  have  his 
Spirit  with  us  continually.  If  we  can  do  this,  we  shall  no 
more  walk  in  darkness  but  we  shall  walk  in  the  light  of 
life.  10:284 

,  If  we  wish  to  enjoy  the  Spirit  of  Zion,  we  must  live  for  it 
Our  religion  is  not  merely  theory ;  it  is  a  practical  religion, 
to  bring  present  enjoyment  to  every  heart  8 ,33. 

At  times  when  I  think  of  addressing  you,  it  occurs  to 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  19 

me  that  strict  sermonizing  upon  topics  pertaining  to  the 
distant  future,  or  reviewing  the  history  of  the  past,  will 
doubtless  please  and  highly  interest  a  portion  of  my 
hearers;  but  my  judgment  and  the  spirit  of  intelligence 
that  is  in  me  teach  that,  by  taking  such  a  course,  the  people 
would  not  be  instructed  pertaining  to  their  every-day  duties 
For  this  reason,  I  do  not  feel  impressed  to  instruct  you  on 
duties  to  be  performed  a  hundred  years  hence,  but  lather 
to  give  those  instructions  pertaining  to  the  present,  to  our 
daily  walk  and  conversation,  that  we  may  know  how  to 
benefit  ourselves  under  the  passing  time,  and  present  pnv- 
ileges,  and  be  able  to  lay  a  foundation  for  future  happiness 
3,272. 

The  work  of  building  up  Zion  is  m  every  sense  a  prac- 
tical work ;  it  is  not  a  mere  theory  A  theoretical  religion 
amounts  to  very  little  real  good  or  advantage  to  any  person 
To  possess  an  inheritance  in  Zion  or  m  Jerusalem  only  in 
theory — only  in  imagination — would  be  the  same  as  having 
no  inheritance  at  all  It  is  necessary  to  get  a  deed  of  it, 
to  make  an  inheritance  practical,  substantial  and  profit- 
able. Then  let  us  not  rest  contented  with  a  mere  theoreti- 
cal religion,  but  let  it  be  practical,  self -purify  ing  and  self- 
sustaining,  keeping  the  love  of  God  within  us,  walking  by 
every  precept,  by  every  law,  and  by  every  word  that  is 
given  to  lead  us.  9:284. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  matter-of-fact  religion, 
and  taketh  hold  of  the  every-day  duties  and  realities  of  this 
life  11:133. 

I  am  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  and  never  trouble  my- 
self about  my  salvation,  or  what  the  Lord  will  do  with 
me  hereafter.  It  is  for  me  to  do  the  will  of  God  today,  and 
when  tomorrow  comes,  to  inquire  what  is  his  will  con- 


20  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

earning  me ;  then  do  the  will  of  my  Father  in  the  work  he 
has  appointed  me  to  do,  and  that  is  enough  for  me.  I  am 
serving  a  God  who  will  give  me  all  I  merit,  when  I  come 
to  receive  my  reward.  This  is  what  I  have  always  thought ; 
and  if  I  still  think  so,  it  is  enough  for  me.  6.276. 

Temporal  Labors  are  Necessary — In  the  mind  of  God 
there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  dividing  spiritual  from  temporal, 
or  temporal  from  spiritual ;  for  they  are  one  in  the  Lord 
11:18. 

The  brethren  have  been  talking  about  temporal  things. 
We  cannot  talk  about  spiritual  things  without  connecting 
with  them  temporal  things,  neither  can  we  talk  about  tem- 
poral things  without  connecting  spiritual  things  with  them 
They  are  inseparably  connected.  10 '329. 

I  cannot,  however,  define  any  difference  between  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  labors.  I  call  it  spiritual  to  accommo- 
date my  language  to  the  ideas  of  the  people.  Anything  that 
pertains  to  the  buHdmg  up  of  the  Lord's  kingdom  on  caith, 
whether  it  Tbe  in  preaching  the  Gospel  or  building  temples 
to  his  name,  we  have  been  taught  to  consider  a  spiritual 
work,  though  it  evidently  requires  the  strength  of  the  nat- 
ural body  to  perform  it.  2:95. 

Be  wise:  be  as  wise  as  the  generations  of  this  world. 
In  the  days  of  Jesus,  those  who  received  the  kingdom  and 
the  spirit  of  the  kingdom  seemed  to  lose  all  sight  of  a  tem- 
poral salvation ;  and  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  "The  chil- 
dren of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  generations  than  the 
children  of  light."  The  children  of  light  did  not  know  how 
to  sustain  themselves ;  they  did  not  understand  how  to  pre- 
serve themselves  and  the  kingdom  with  them.  4:343. 

If  you  cannot  provide  for  your  natural  lives,  how  can 
you  expect  to  have  wisdom  to  obtain  eternal  lives?  God 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  21 

has  given  you  your  existence — your  body  and  spirit,  and 
has  blest  you  with  ability,  and  thereby  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  all  knowledge,  wisdom,  and  understanding,  and  all 
glory  and  eternal  lives  If  you  have  not  attained  ability  to 
provide  for  your  natural  wants,  and  for  a  wife  and  a  few 
children,  what  have  you  to  do  with  heavenly  things p  8 :68 

We  cannot  even  enter  the  temple  when  it  is  built,  and 
perform  those  ordinances  which  lead  to  spiritual  blessings, 
without  performing  a  temporal  labor  Temporal  ordinances 
must  be  performed  to  secure  the  spiritual  blessings  the 
Great  Supreme  has  in  store  for  his  faithful  children  Every 
act  is  first  a  temporal  act.  The  Apostle  says,  faith  comes 
by  hearing.  What  should  be  heard  to  produce  faith?  The 
preaching  of  the  Word  For  that  we  must  have  a  preacher, 
and  he  is  not  an  invisible  spirit,  but  a  temporal,  ordinary 
man  like  ourselves,  and  subject  to  the  same  regulations  and 
rules  of  life  To  preach  the  Gospel  is  a  temporal  labor,  and 
to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  result  of  a  tem- 
poral labor  To  be  baptized  is  a  temporal  labor,  both  to  the 
person  administered  to  and  the  administrator  I  am  a  liv- 
ing witness  to  the  truth  of  this  statement,  for  I  have  made 
my  feet  sore  many  a  time,  and  tired  myself  out  traveling 
and  preaching,  that  by  hearing  the  Gospel  the  people  might 
have  faith,  The  blessings  we  so  earnestly  desire  will  come 
to  us  by  performing  the  manual  labor  required,  and  thus 
preparing  all  things  necessary  to  receive  the  invisible  bless- 
ings Jehovah  has  for  his  children.  9 :240. 

There  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual  body. 
All  things  are  natural,  and  all  are  spiritual  Every  duty  of 
life,  no  matter  what  it  is,  every  requirement  necessary  to 
sustain  and  exalt  man,  is  incorporated  m  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  in  the  ordinances  of  his  house— in  the  duties  God 


22  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGtlAM  YOUNG 

requnes  of  his  childien  It  is  all  in  the  Chuich  and  King- 
dom of  oui  God  "What'  our  labor?"  Yes.  1  sometimes 
take  the  liberty  of  preaching  upon  economy  to  this  people, 
Peihaps  some  are  inclined  to  think  that  in  so  doing  I  tran- 
scend my  own  duties  and  obligations  I  do  not.  I  instruct 
the  husbandman  how  to  till  his  farm,  because  1  know  and 
undeistand  the  nature  of  the  elements  that  produce  grain 
better  than  he  does  I  know  how  he  should  prepaic  the 
elements  for  the  seed  to  produce  the  inn  ease  which  he 
desnes  in  the  things  necessary  to  sustain  himself  and  fam- 
ily. It  is  my  duty  to  instruct  my  biethien,  if  I  understand 
my  branch  of  business  better  than  they  do  If  I  undei  stand 
how  to  make  myself  comfortable— if  I  understand  better 
than  others  do  the  organization  of  the  elements  Cod  has 
given  us  ability  to  operate  with  for  our  benefit,  it  is  my 
duty  to  instruct  them  Heie  are  the  elements  They  are 
not  made  in  vain,  but  are  made  for  the  benefit,  comfort, 
convenience,  and  happiness  of  God's  childien 

The  principles  of  eternity  and  eternal  exaltation  are  ot 
no  use  to  us,  unless  they  are  brought  down  to  our  capacities 
so  that  we  piactice  them  in  our  lives  4.28 

We  Need  a  Present,  Every-day  Religion— My  religion 
must  be  with  me  from  one  Monday  morning  to  the  next,  the 
year  around,  or  it  will  not  answer  me  1  338 

The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  it  is  given  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants,  and  in  the  experience  of  every  true 
Christian  who  has  lived  and  still  lives  upon  the  earth, 
teaches  that  it  is  the  privilege  of  eveiy  Saint  so  to  live  and 
walk  before  their  God,  as  to  enjoy  the  light  of  the  spirit  of 
truth  from  day  to  day,  from  week  to  week,  and  from  year 
to  year,  through  their  whole  lives  Without  this  privilege 


1  UE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  23 

in  the  Gospet,  connected  with  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
I  should  be  inclined  to  believe  that  the  religion  that  is 
taught  in  the  Bible  and  in  dthe  Book  of  Mormon,  would 
amount  to  nothing  more  than  a  mere  phantom— an  imag- 
inary thing.  It  would  be  inadequate  to  satisfy,  in  any  de- 
gree, the  mind  of  man,  as  it  is  now  organized  1 ,233. 

Were  it  not  that  our  bodies  have  to  be  fed  and  clothed, 
I  would  propose  that  we  tarry  here  a  few  months,  to  give 
all  a  chance  to  speak,  to  exhort,  to  pray,  to  prophesy,  to 
sing,  to  speak  in  tongues,  or  to  do  whatsoever  the  Spirit 
should  manifest  unto  them.  But  our  work  is  a  work  of 
the  present  The  salvation  we  are  seeking  is  for  the  pres- 
ent, and  sought  correctly,  it  can  be  obtained,  and  be  con- 
tinually enjoyed.  If  it  continues  to-day,  it  is  upon  the  same 
principle  that  it  will  continue  to-morrow,  the  next  day,  the 
next  week,  or  the  next  year,  and,  we  might  say,  the  next 
eternity  1:131. 

It  is  present  salvation  and  the  present  influence  of  the^ 
Holy  Ghost  that  we  need  every  day  to  keep  us  on  saving 
ground  When  an  individual  refuses  to  comply  with  the 
further  requirements  of  Heaven,  then  the  sins  he  had  form- 
erly committed  return  upon  his  head ,  his  former  righteous- 
ness departs  from  him,  and  is  not  accounted  to  him  for 
righteousness ;  but  if  he  had  continued  in  righteousness  and 
obedience  to  the  requirements  of  Heaven,  he  is  saved  all  the 
time,  through  baptism,  the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  obey- 
ing the  commandments  of  the  Lord  and  all  that  is  required 
of  him  by  the  heavens — the  living  oracles  He  is  saved 
now,  next  week,  next  year,  and  continually,  and  is  pre- 
pared for  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God  whenever  the  time 
conies  for  him  to  inherit  it.  8:124 

There  is  no  life  more  precious  than  the  present  life  which 


24  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

we  enjoy,  there  is  no  life  that  is  worth  any  more  to  us  than 
this  life  is  It  may  be  said  that  an  eternal  life  is  worth 
more.  We  are  m  eternity,  and  all  that  we  have  to  do  is  to 
take  the  road  that  leads  into  the  eternal  lives.  Eternal  life 
is  an  inherent  quality  of  the  creature,  and  nothing  but  sin 
can  put  a  termination  to  it  The  elements  in  their  nature 
are  as  eternal  as  are  the  gods  Let  us  learn,  under  the  guid- 
ance and  direction  of  Heaven,  how  to  use  these  eternal  ele- 
ments for  the  building"  up,  establishment  and  sending  forth, 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  gathering  up  the  poor  in  heart  to 
begin  with,  and  the  further  things  we  will  learn  as  we 
progress.  10  -22. 

I  wish  ,to  urge  upon  the  people  the  necessity  of  know- 
ing what  to  do  with  their  present  life,  which  pertains  more 
particularly  to  temporalities  The  very  object  of  our  ex- 
istence here  is  to  handle  the  temporal  elements  of  this  world 
and  subdue  the  earth,  multiplying  those  oigamsms  of  plants 
and  animals  God  has  designed  shall  dwell  upon  it  When 
we  have  learned  to  live  according  to  the  full  value  of  the 
life  we  now  possess,  we  are  prepared  for  eternal  advance- 
ment in  the  scale  of  eternal  progression— for  a  more  glo- 
rious and  exalted  sphere.  9  168 

Tradition  has  taught  us  that  the  gieat  purpose  of  relig- 
ion is  to  prepare  people  to  die;  that  when  they  have  passed 
through  a  change  of  heart,  become  converted,  then  they  are 
ready  for  glory  at  any  moment  and  to  dwell  with  the  Fathei 
and  the  Son  m  the  heavens  to  all  eternity.  This  is  a  mis- 
take; for  they  have  to  improve,  become  substantially 
changed  from  bad  to  good,  from  sin  to  holiness*  here  or 
somewhere  else,  before  they  are  prepared  for  the  society  they 
anticipate  enjoying.  They  would  not  be  nearly  so  well 
prepared  for  the  society  of  the  sanctified  in  heaven  as  a  per- 


THE  GOSPEL  DEFINED  25 

son  brought  up  in  the  lowest  classes  of  society  would  be 
prepared  to  present  properly  and  conduct  himself  among 
the  highest  and  most  polished  grades  of  mankind  Those 
who  are  counted  worthy  to  dwell  with  the  Father  and  the 
Son  have  previously  received  an  education  fitting  them  for 
that  society;  they  have  been  made  fully  acquainted  with 
every  pass-word,  token  and  sign  which  has  enabled  them 
to  pass  by  the  porters  through  the  doors  into  the  celestial 
kingdom  10.172. 

I  want  present  salvation  I  preach,  comparatively,  but 
little  about  the  eternities  and  Gods,  and  their  wonderful 
works  in  eteimty,  and  do  not  tell  who  first  made  them,  nor 
how  they  were  made,  for  I  know  nothing  about  that.  Life 
is  for  us,  and  it  is  for  us  to  receive  it  today,  and  not  wait 
foi  the  Millennium  Let  us  take  a  course  to  be  saved  today, 
and,  when  evening  comes,  review  the  acts  of  the  day,  repent 
of  our  sins,  if  we  have  any  to  repent  of,  and  say  our  pray- 
ers; then  we  can  he  down  and  sleep  in  peace  until  the 
morning,  arise  with  gratitude  to  God,  commence  the  labors 
of  another  day,  and  strive  to  live  the  whole  day  to  God  and 
nobody  else.  8  124 

We  Must  Learn  to  Support  Ourselves — I  am  under  ob- 
ligation to  take  a  course  which  will  sustain  life  within  my- 
self and  others,  on  rational  principles,  without  any  special 
manifestation  from  God,  14,111. 

I  have  tried  continually  to  get  this  people  to  puisue  a 
course  that  will  make  them  self-sustaining,  taking  care  of 
their  poor,  the  lame,  the  halt  and  the  blind,  lifting  the  igno- 
rant from  where  they  have  no  opportunity  of  observing  the 
ways  of  the  world,  and  of  understanding  the  common  knowl- 
edge possessed  among  the  children  of  men,  bringing  them 
together  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  world,  and  making 


26  THSCOURhES   OI<    I1KLGHAM    UH'Ntl 

of  them  an  intelligent,  thrifty  and  self-sustaining  people 
12;195. 

My  warfare  is,  and  has  been  for  years,  to  get  the  people 
to  understand  that  if  they  do  not  take  care  of  themselves 
they  will  not  be  taken  care  of;  that  if  we  do  not  lay  the 
foundation  to  feed  and  clothe  and  shelter  ourselves  we  shall 
perish  with  hunger  and  with  cold ;  we  might  also  suffer  in 
the  summer  season  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  upon 
our  naked  and  unprotected  bodies.  10:200. 

I  see  more  and  more  that  there  are  but  very  few  men 
and  women  that  are  even  capable  of  taking  care  of  them- 
selves temporally.  4  314. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  GODHEAD 

Our  Father  in  Heaven — Let  every  person  be  the  friend 
of  God  4.372. 

Some  believe  or  conceiye  the  idea  that  to  know  God 
would  lessen  him  in  our  estimation ;  but  I  can  say  that  for 
me  to  understand  any  principle  or  being,  on  earth  or  in 
heaven,  it  does  not  lessen  its  true  value  to  me,  but  on  the 
contrary,  it  increases  it;  and  the  more  I  can  know  of  God, 
the  dearer  and  more  precious  he  is  to  me,  and  the  more 
exalted  are  my  feelings  towards  him.  13 :57. 

There  is  a  Power  that  has  organized  all  things  from  the 
crude  matter  that  floats  in  the  immensity  of  space.  .  He 
has  given  form,  motion  and  life  to  this  material  world;  has 
made  the  great  and  small  lights  that  bespangle  the  firma- 
ment above;  has  allotted  to  them  their  times  and  their  sea- 
sons, and  has  marked  out  their  spheres.  He  has  caused  the 
rur  and  the  waters  to  teem  with  life,  and  covered  the  hills 
and  plains  with  creeping  things,  ,and  has  made  man  to  be 
a  ruler  over  his  creations.  All  these  wonders  are  the 
works  of  the  Almighty  Ruler  of  the  universe,  in  whom  we 
believe , and  whom  we  worship.  11:120. 

All  the  creations  are  his  work,  and  they  are  for  his 
glory  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  of  men;  and  all 
things  are  put, into  the  possession  of  man  for  his  comfort, 
improvement  and  consolation,  and  for  his  health,  wealth, 
beauty  and  excellency.  13:151. 

He  is  a  God  of  system,  order,  law, , science,  and  art;  a 
God  of  knowledge  and  of  power.  13 :309. 

He  is  the  Father,  God,  Savior,  Maker,  Preserver,  and 


28  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Redeemer  of  man.  He  holds  in  his  hands  the  issue  of  all 
things  and  will  judge  every  man  according  to  his  works. 
3  259-260. 

God  is  the  source,  the  fountain  of  all  intelligence,  no 
matter  who  possesses  it,  whether  man  upon  the  earth,  the 
spirits  in  the  spirit-world,  the  angels  that  dwell  in  the  eter- 
nities of  the  Gods,  or  the  most^nferior  intelligence  among 
the  devils  in  hell.  All  have  derived  what  intelligence,  light, 
power,  and  existence  they  have  from  God — from  the  same 
source  from  which  we  have  received  ours.  8  205. 

Every  good  and  perfect  .gift  cometh  from  God.  Every 
discovery  in  science  and  art,  that  is  really  true  and  useful 
to  mankind  has  been  given  by  direct  revelation  from  God, 
though  but  (few  acknowledge  it.  It  has  been  given  with 
a  view  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  ultimate  triumph  of  tiuth, 
and  the  redemption  of  the  earth  from  the  power  of  sin  and 
Satan  We  should  take  advantage  of  all  these  great  dis- 
coveries, the  accumulated  wisdom  of  ages,  and  give  to  our 
children  the  benefit  of  every  branch  of  useful  knowledge,  to 
prepare  them  to  step  forward  and; efficiently  do  their  part 
in  the  great  work.  9 :369. 

He  is  our  Heavenly  Father;  he  is  also  our  God,  and 
the  Maker  and  upholder  of  all  things  in  heaven  and  on 
earth.  He  sends  forth  his  counsels  and  extends  his  provi- 
dences to  all  living  He  is  the  Supreme  Controller  of  the 
universe  At  his  rebuke  the  sea  is  dried  up,  and  the  rivers 
become  a  wilderness.  He  measures  the  waters  in  the  hollow 
of  his  hand,  and  meteth  out  heaven  with  a  span,  and  com- 
prehendeth  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a  measure,  and  weigheth 
the  mountains  in  scales,  and  the  hills  in  a  Balance;  the  na- 
tions to  him  are  as  a  drop  in  a  bucket,  and  he  taketh  up  the 
isles  as  a  very  little  thing;  the  hairs  of  our  heads  are  num- 


THE   GODHEAD  ,       29 

bered  by  him,  and  not  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground  with- 
out our  Father ;  and  he  knoweth  every  thought  and  intent 
of  the  hearts  of  all  living,  for  he  is  everywhere  present  by 
the  power  of  his  Spirit — his  minister,  the  Holy  Ghost  He 
is  the  Father  of  all,  is  above  all,  through  all,  and  in  you  all , 
he  knoweth  all  things  pertaining  to  this  earth,  and  he 
knows  all  things  pertaining  to  millions  of  earths  like  this 
11:41. 

Whether  they  make  good  or  bad  use  of  it,  all  power  is 
ordained  of  God  and  is  in  his  hand,  He  sets  up  a  king- 
dom here,  and  pulls  clown  another  there  at  his  pleasure 
He  breaks  the  nations  like  a  potter's  vessel;  he  forms  a 
nucleus,  and  around  it  builds  up  a  kingdom  or  nation,  per- 
mitting the  people  to  act  upon  their  own  agency,  that  they 
may  do  Tight,  or  corrupt  themselves,  as  did  the  Children 
of  Israel ,  and  after  they  have  become  ripe  for  destruction 
they  will  be  scattered  to  the  four  winds.  If  the  people  of 
God  in  ancient  days  had  continued  holy  they  would  have 
continued  in  power  and  authority  to  this  day  7 :148 

If  there  is  anything  that  is  great  and  good  and  wise 
among  men,  it  cometh  from  God.  If  there  are  men  who 
possess  great  ability  as  statesmen,  or  as  philosophers,  or 
who  possess  remarkable  scientific  knowledge  and  skill,  the 
credit  thereof  belongs  to  God,  for  he  dispenses  it  to  his 
children  whether  they  believe  in  him  or  not,  or  whether 
they  sin  against  him  or  not,  it  makes  no  difference,  but  all 
will  have  to  account  to  him  for  the  way  and  manner  in 
which  they  have  used  the  talents  committed  unto  them 
If  we  believe  the  plain,  broad  statements  of  the  Bible,  we 
must  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  light  that  hghteth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world;  none  are  exempt 
11-123 


30  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

The  fulness  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  is  the  Lord's-  - 
the  gold  and  the  silver,  the  wheat,  the  fine  flour,  and  the 
cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills;  and  when  we  fully  undei- 
stand  his  works,  we  shall  know  that  he  is  in  all  the  c«iilh 
and  fulfils  his  will  among  the  children  of  men,  exalting  ami 
debasing  them  according  to  hib  pleasure,  for  the  systems, 
creeds,  thrones,  and  kingdoms  of  the  woild  are  all  undoi 
his  control  1  49. 

We  believe  that  God  is  round  about  all  things,  akne  all 
things,  m  all  things,  and  through  all  things  To  tell  about 
empty  space  is  to  tell  of  a  space  wheie  God  is  not,  and 
where  the  wicked  might  safely  hide  from  his  presence 
There  is  not  such  a  thing  as  empty  space  1  -276 

He  is  compassionate  to  all  the  works  of  his  hands,  the 
plan  of  his  redemption,  and  salvation,  and  mercy  ^ 
stretched  out  over  all ,  and  his  plans  are  to  gather  up,  and 
bring -together,  and  save  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 
with  the  exception  of  those  whp^  have  ^received  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  sinned  against  it.  With  this  exception,  all  the 
world  besides  shall'be  saved.  3.92, 

When  the  Loid  fights  the  battles  of  the  Saints,  he  docs 
it  so  effectually  that  nobody  gets  nervous  but  the  enemy, 
8:325. 

No  person  deceives  the  Lord.    16:163 

It  is  written  that  God  knows  all  things  and  has  all 
powei  He  has  the  rule  and  command  of  this  earth,  and 
is  the  Father  of  all  the  human  beings  that  have  lived,  do 
live  and  will  live  upon  it.  If  any  of  his  children  become 
heirs  to  all  things,  they  in  their  turn  can  say,  by-and-by, 
that  they  know  all  things,  and  they  will  be  called  Supreme, 
Almighty,  King  of  kings,  Lord  of  lords  All  this  and  more 
that  cannot  enter  into  our  hearts  to  conceive  is  promised  to 


THE    GODHEAD  31 

the  faithful,  and  are  but  so  many  stages  in  that  ceaseless 
pi  egression  of  eternal  lives.  This  will  not  detract  anything 
from  the  glory  and  might  of  our  Heavenly  Father  For  he 
will  still  remain  our  Father,  and  we  shall  still  be  subject 
to  him,  and  as  we  progress  in  glory  and  power,  the  more 
it  enhances  the  glory  and  power  of  our  Heavenly  Father 
This  principle  holds  good  m  either  state,  whether  mortal 
or  immortal  10  5 

All  that  the  Lord  requires  of  us  is  a  perfect  submission 
in  our  hearts  to  his  will.  18 .238 

The  Lord  gives  us  little  by  little  and  is  ever  willing  to 
give  us  more  and  more,  even  the  fulness,  when  our  hearts 
are  prepared  to  receive  all  the  truths  of  heaven  This  is 
what  the  Lord  desires,  what  he  would  delight  in  doing,  for 
his  children  18.217. 

Our  Father  in  heaven  wishes  us  to  preserve  that  which 
he  gives  to  us  9 '169 

He  presides  over  the  worlds  on  worlds  that  illuminate 
this  little  planet,  and  millions  on  millions  of  worlds  that  we 
cannot  see;  and  yet  he  looks  upon  the  minutest  object  of 
his  creations,  not  one  of  these  creatures  escapes  his  notice, 
and  there  is  not  one  off  them  but  his  wisdom  and  power 
has  produced  1  39. 

I  believe  in  a  God  who  has  power  to  exalt  and  glorify 
all  who  believe  in  him,  and  are  faithful  in  serving  him  to 
the  end  of  their  lives,  for  this  make  them  Gods,  even  the 
sons  of  God,  and  in  this  sense  also  there  are  Gods  many, 
but  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ — 
one  Savior  who  came  in  the  meridian  of  time  to  redeem  the 
earth  and  the  children  of  men  from  the  original  sin  that  was 
committed  by  our  first  parents,  and  bring  to  pass  the  resto- 
ration of  all  things  through  his  death  and  suffering,  open 


32  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

wide  to  all  believers  the  gates  of  life  and  salvation  and 
exaltation  to  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  to 
dwell  with  them  for  evermore.  11  "122. 

As  I  said  once  to  my  biethren  in  the  School  of  the 
Prophets,  I  have  not  asked  you,  I  daie  not  ask  you  to  fulfil 
almost  the  first  requncment  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven, 
almost  the  simplest  principle,  and  one  of  the  first  things 
that  should  be  observed  I  have  not  asked  the  people  to 
perform  this  great  labor,  I  will  say  it  is  a  gteat  labor,  and 
if  I  were  to  refer  it  to  you,  you  would  say  the  same.  You 
may  ask  what  it  is?  It  is  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  with  all  thy  mind  and  with  all  thy  strength,  and 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself,  Now,  is  this  not  almost  one  of 
the  fiist  requirements  that  God  has  made  of  his  people? 
And  I  have  not  yet  required  it  of  the  people.  Love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  then  speak  evil  o-f  thy 
neighbor ?  No1  No1  Love  the  Loid  thy  God  with  all  thy 
heart,  and  speak  that  which  is  not  true?  No,  oh,  no !  Love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  take  that  which  is 
not  thy  own?  No,  no,  no!  Love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  and  seek  after  the  riches  of  the  world  and  for- 
sake your  religion'1  No'  Love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart  and  take  his  name  in  vain,  curse  and  swear ? 
No,  never !  If  the  love  of  God  was  really  in  the  hearts  of  all 
who  call  themselves  Latter-day  Saints,  there  would  be  no 
more  swearing,  no  more  lying,  no  more  deceiving,  no  more 
speaking  evil  of  one  another,  no  more  running  after  the  un- 
godly nor  dealing  with  the  enemies  of  Zion,  no  more  run- 
ning after  the  gold  mines;  nothing  would  be  sought  after, 
only  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God.  This  we  have  not 
yet  asked.  But  we  do  ask  some  things.  Let  us  forsake 
those  sins  that  are  so  grievous,  and  let  us  try  to  do  right 
before  the  Heavens  and  with  each  other.  12:229. 


THE    GODHEAD  33 

He  has  not  committed  the  keys  of  the  results  of  the  acts 
of  the  nations  of  the  earth  to  any  man  on  the  earth,  but 
that  power  he  retains  to  himself.  8:31. 

What  is  commonly  termed  idolatry  has  arisen  from  a 
few  sincere  men,  full  of  faith  and  having  a  little  knowledge, 
urging  upon  a  backsliding  people  to  preserve  some  cus- 
toms— to  cling  to  some  fashions  or  figures,  to  put  them  in 
mind  of  that  God  with  whom  their  fathers  were  acquainted, 
without  designing  or  wishing  the  people  to  worship  an  idol 
—to  worship  stocks,  stones,  beasts,  and  birds  Idols  have 
been  introduced,  which  are  now  worshiped,  and  have  been 
for  centuries  and  thousands  of  years ;  but  they  were  not  in- 
troduced at  once  They  were  introduced  to  preserve  among 
the  people  the  idea  of  the  true  God.  6  194 

We  are  nothing,  only  what  the  Lord  makes  us     5  343 

Cease  bringing  the  names  of  God  the  Father  and  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ  into  disrespect  and  learn  to  reverence  those 
names.  7:147. 

The  Lord  operates  upon  the  principles  of  continuing  to 
organize,  of  adding  to,  gathering  up,  bringing  forth,  in- 
creasing and  spreading  abroad,  while  the  opposite  power 
does  not.  It  shows  the  nature  of  his  opposition  to  that 
peculiar  trait  of  Christianity,  based  upon  the  principles  of 
eternal  duration,  increase,  power,  glory,  and  exaltation; 
and  points  out  the  difference  between  the  two  adverse 
powers.  1:117. 

Unless  God  blesses  our  exertions  we  shall  have  nothing 
It  is  the  Lord  that  gives  the  increase.  3 .331 

The  God  that  I  serve  is  progressing  eternally,  and  so 
are  his  children :  they  will  increase  to  all  eternity,  if  they 
are  faithful.  11:286 

It  is  written,  "Prove  all  things,  hold  fast  that  which  is 


34  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIG1IAM  YOUNG 

good  "  Refuse  evil,  choose  good,  hate  iniquity,  love  tiuth 
All  this  out  fathers  have  done  befoie  us,  I  do  not  particu- 
larly mean  Father  Adam,  or  his  Father,  I  do  not  particulaily 
mean  Abraham,  or  Moses,  the  Prophets,  or  Apostles,  but  1 
mean  our  fathers  who  have  been  exalted  for  millions  of 
}tars  previous  to  Adam's  time  They  have  all  passed 
through  the  same  01  dealt  we  aie  now  passing  thiough,  and 
have  seaiched  all  things,  e\en  to  the  depths  of  hell  9  243. 

The  great  aithitect,  managei  and  superintendent,  con- 
troller and  dictator  who  guides  this  work  is  out  of  sight  to 
our  natural  eyes  lie  lives  on  another  world;  he  is  in  an- 
other state  of  existence,  he  has  passed  the  01  deals  we  aie 
now  passing  thiough,  he  has  received  an  experience,  has 
suffered  and  enjoyed,  and  knows  all  that  we  know  regaul- 
mg  the  toils,  sufferings,  life  and  death  of  this  mortality,  foi 
he  has  passed  through  the  whole  of  it,  and  has  icceivcd  his 
crown  and  exaltation  and  holds  the  keys  and  the  power  of 
this  Kingdom,  he  sways  his  sceptei,  and  does  his  \vill  among 
the  childien  of  men,  among1  Saints  and  among  sinners,  and 
brings  forth  results  to  suit  his  puipose  among  kingdoms 
and  nations  and  empires,  that  all  may  redound  to  his  glory 
and  to  the  perfection  of  his  work.  11:249, 

How  many  Gods  there  are,  I  do  not  know.  But  there 
never  was  a  time  when  there  were  not  Gods  and  woilds, 
and  when  men  were  not  passing  through  the  same  ordeals 
that  we  are  now  passing  thiough.  That  course  has  been 
from  all  eternity,  and  it  is  and  will  be  to  all  eternity.  You 
cannot  comprehend  this  but  when  you  can,  it  will  be  to  you 
a  matter  of  great  consolation  7  333 

Wherever  the  human  family  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the 
eaith,  whether  they  are  savage  or  civilized,  there  is  a  desire 
implanted  within  them  to  worship  a  great  Supreme  Ruler, 


THE    GODHEAD  35 

and  not  knowing  him  they  suppose  that  through  offering 
worship  and  sacrifice  to  their  idols  they  can  conciliate  his 
anger  which  they  think  they  see  manifested  m  the  thunder, 
in  the  lightning,  m  the  storm,  in  the  floods,  in  the  reverses 
of  war,  111  the  hand  of  death,  etc.,  etc. ;  thus  they  try  to  woo 
his  protection  and  his  blessing  for  victory  over  their  en- 
emies, and  at  the  termination  of  this  life  for  a  place  in  the 
heaven  their  imaginations  have  created,  or  tradition  has 
handed  down  to  them  I  have  much  chanty  for  this  portion 
of  the  human  family  called  heathens  or  idolaters ;  they  have 
made  images  to  represent  to  their  eyes  a  power  which  they 
cannot  see,  and  desire  to  worship  a  Supreme  Being  through 
the  figure  which  they  have  made.  11  '120 

We  believe  m  one  God,  one  Mediator  and  one  Holy 
Ghost  We  cannot  believe  for  a  moment  that  God  is  desti- 
tute of  body,  paits,  passions,  or  attributes  Attributes  can 
be  made  manifest  only  through  an  organized  personage  All 
attributes  are  couched  in  and  are  the  results  of  organized 
existence  10  192 

The  Lord  is  perfectly  independent.  He  has  received  his 
glory,  he  reigns  supreme  and  omnipotent.  He  is  not  de- 
pendent upon  you  and  me  If  every  one  of  us  should  apos- 
tatize and  go  down  to  hell,  it  would  neither  add  to  nor  di- 
mmish from  his  glory  He  would  mourn  at  our  folly  in 
turning  away  from  the  holy  commandments  and  suffering 
the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  to  come  upon  us,  the  heavens 
would  weep  over  us,  but  still  the  Lord  has  his  glory,  and 
you  and  I  are  not  laboring  for  his  benefit.  For  whose 
benefit  are  we  laboring?  For  our  own  All  my  preaching, 
laboring  and  toils  in  this  Kingdom  have  been  for  myself, 
to  get  into  the  Celestial  Kingdom  of  God  I  have  been  labor- 
ing for  that  and  nothing  else,  13:315, 


36  DISCOURSES  Ot  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Read  the  history  of  any  kingdom  or  nation,  and  tiace 
through  all  the  channels  from  the  history  of  nations  and 
kingdoms  to  that  of  families  and  individuals  who  have  not 
known  God  nor  observed  his  commandments,  and  you  will 
find  that  sorrow  and  disappointment  have  been  intimately 
mingled  in  all  the  gaiety,  luxuries,  and  pretended  enjoy- 
ments of  their  mortal  lives  They  have  found  a  bitter  sting 
in  their  happiest  moments  and  a  deadly  poison  in  their  cups 
639. 

There  is  no  influence,  truth,  or  ughteousness  in  the 
world,  only  what  flows  from  God  our  Father  in  the  heavens 
578 

Personality  and  Fatherhood  of  God— Some  would  have 
us  believe  that  God  is  picsent  everywhere,  It  is  not  so.  He 
i«*  no  more  everywhere  pieseut  in  person  than  the  Father 
and  Son  are  one  in  peison,  6*345 

God  is  considered  to  be  everywhere  present  at  the  same 
moment,  and  the  Psalmist  says,  "Whither  shall  I  flee  from 
thy  presence ?"  Pie  is  piesent  with  all  his  creations  through 
his  influence,  through  his  government,  spit  it  and  power, 
but  he  himself  is  a  personage  of  tabernacle,  and  we  are  made 
after  his  likeness  10-319. 

Our  God  and  Father  in  Heaven,  is  a  being  of  tabernacle, 
or,  in  other  words,  he  has  a  body,  with  parts  the  same  as 
you  and  I  have ,  and  is  capable  of  showing  forth  his  works 
to  organized  beings,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  world  in  which 
we  live,  it  is  the  result  of  the  knowledge  and  infinite  wis- 
dom that  dwell  in  his  organized  body.  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ  has  become  a  personage  of  tabemacle,  and  has  a 
body  like  his  Father,  The  Holy  Ghost  is  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  and  issues  "forth  from  himself,  and  may  properly  be 
called  God's  ministet  to  execute  his  will  in, immensity; 


THE   GODHEAD  37 

being  called  to  govern  by  his  influence  and  power;  but 
he  is  ^Qt^ersa^iSlss^L^^^>J^i  as.our  Father  in 
Heaven  .and  Jesus  Christ  are^  1 '50.4>  tf  «7<s  \*A  *£ 

The  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth  is  a  living,  moving,  effec- 
tive institution  and  is  governed,  controlled,  dictated  and 
led  by  the  invisible  God  whom  we  serve  who  is  an  exalted, 
living  being,  possessing  body,  parts  and  passions,  who  lis- 
tens to  the  prayers  of  his  Saints,  is  a  reasonable,  merciful 
and  intelligent  being,  who  is  filled  with  knowledge  and  wis- 
dom, who  is  full  of  light  and  glory,  and  the  foundations  of 
whose  throne  are  laid  in  eternal  truth;  whose  personal  form 
is  perfect  in  proportion  and  beauty  He  loves  the  good,  and 
is  angry  with  the  wicked  every  day  as  it  is  written  in  the 
Scriptures.  He  hates  the  evil  that  is  done  by  evil  doers,  and 
is  merciful  to  the  repenting  sinner.  He  is  beloved  by  all 
who  know  him  for  the  attributes  he  possesses  in  and  of  him- 
self, in  common  with  all  glorified  beings  who  now  dwell 
with  him,  and  who  will  yet  be  glorified  and  crowned  with 
crowns  of  glory,  immortality  and  eternal  lives.  11  251 

It  must  be  that  God  knows  something  about  tempoial 
things,  and  has  had  a  body  and  been  on  an  earth.  Were  it 
not  so,  he  would  not  know  how  to  judge  men  righteously, 
according  to  the  temptations  and  sin  they  have  had  to  con- 
tend with.  4:271. 

Our  Father  in  Heaven  begat  all  the  spirits  that  ever 
were,  or  ever  will  be,  upon  this  earth ;  and  they  were  born 
spirits  in  the  eternal  world  Then  the  Lord  by  his  power 
and  wisdom  organized  the  mortal  tabernacle  of  man.  We 
were  made  first  spiritual,  and  afterwards  temporal  1 .50 

He  is  our  Father;  he  is  our  God,  the  ,Father  of  our 
spirits,  he  is  the  framer  of  our  bodies,  and  set  the  machine 
in  successful  operation  to  bring  forth  these  tabernacles  that 


3S  DISCOURSES  OF  URIC  1 1  \M  YOUM. 

I  now  look  upon  in  this  building,  and  all  that  evci  did  01 
ever  will  live  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth  13  '250 

The  Apostles  and  Prophets,  when  speaking  of  our  icla- 
tionship  to  God,  say  that  we  are  flesh  of  his  flesh  and  bone 
of  his  bone,  God  is  our  Father,  and  Jesus  Christ  is  our 
Elder  Biothei,  and  both  ate  our  everlasting  friends  6  332 

The  kingdoms  he  possesses  and  rules  ovei  aie  hi*  own 
progeny.  Eveiy  man  who  is  faithful  and  gets  a  salvation 
and  glory,  and  becomes  a  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lotds, 
or  a  Fathei  of  fatheis,  it  will  be  by  the  increase  of  his  own 
progeny.  Our  Fathei  and  God  mlcs  over  his  own  chil- 
dren Wherevei  there  is  a  God  in  all  the  eternities  possess- 
ing a  kingdom  and  gloiy  and  powei  it  is  by  means  of  his 
own  progeny.  1 1  262. 

Many  have  tncd  to  penetiate  to  the  Fust  Cause  of  all 
things;  but  it  would  be  as  easy  for  an  ant  to  number  the 
Drains  of  sand  on  the  earth  It  is  not  for  man,  with  his 
limited  intelligence,  to  grasp  eternity  in  his  comprehension 
There  is  an  eternity  of  life,  from  which  we  were  composed 
by  the  wisdom  and  skill  of  Supenoi  Beings  Tt  would  be 
as  easy  for  a  gnat  to  trace  the  history  of  man  back  to  his 
ongm  as  for  man  to  fathom  the  First  Cause  of  all  things, 
lift  the  veil  of  eternity,  and  reveal  the  mystenes  that  have 
been  sought  after  by  philosophers  fiotn  the  beginning  What 
then,  should  be  the  calling  and  duty  of  the  children  of  men'1 
Instead  of  inquning  after  the  origin  of  Gods—instead  of 
trying  to  explore  the  depths  of  eteinities  that  have  been, 
that  are,  and  that  will  be,  instead  of  endeavonng  to  discover 
the  boundaries  of  boundless  space,  let  them  seek  to  know 
the  object  of  their  present  existence,  and  how  to  apply,  in 
the  most  profitable  manner  for  their  mutual  good  and  sal- 
vation, the  intelligence  they  possess  Let  them  seek  to 


THE   GODHEAD  39 

know  and  thoroughly  understand  things  within  their  reach, 
and  to  make  themselves  well  acquainted  with  the  object  of 
their  being  here,  by  diligently  seeking  unto  a  super-power 
for  information  and  by  the  careful  study  of  the  best  books. 
7.284-5. 

God  has  given  this  great  variety  of  intelligence.  He 
has  also  given  this  great  variety  of  forms— that  eternal 
variety  which  we  see  upon  this  earth,  not  only  among  hu- 
man beings,  but  in  every  class  of  all  the  creations  of  God ; 
and  they  are  all  designed  to  be  preserved  to  all  eternity 
None  of  them  were  made  to  be  destroyed,  except  those  that 
do  not  abide  the  law  given  them.-  8:8 

I  now  see  before  me  beings  who  are  in  the  i*nage  of 
those  heavenly  personages  who  are  enthroned  m  glory  and 
crowned  with  eternal  lives  in  the  very  image  of  those  beings 
who  organized  the  earth  and  its  fulness,  and  who  constitute 
the  Godhead.  9:246. 

The  Son  of  God — Our  faith  is  concentrated  in  the  Son 
of  God,  and  through  him  in  the  Father ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  their  minister  to  bring  truths  to  our  remembrance,  to  re- 
veal new  truths  to  us,  and  teach,  guide,  and  direct  the 
course  of  every  mind,  until  we  become  perfected  and  pre- 
pared to  go  home,  where  we  can  see  and  converse  with  our 
Father  in  Heaven.  6:98. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  the  Father,  who  came  in  the  meridian  of 
time,  performed  his  work,  suffered  the  penalty  and  paid  the 
debt  of  man's  original  sin  by  offering  up  himself,  was  res- 
urrected from  the  dead,  and  ascended  to  his  Father;  and 
as  Jesus  descended  below  all  things,  so  he  will  ascend 
above  all  things  We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  will  come 
again,  as  it  is  written  of  him  "And  while  they  looked 


40  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

steadfastly  toward  heaven  as  he  went  up,  behold  two  men 
stood  by  them  in  white  apparel;  which  also  said,  Ye  men  of 
Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven?  this  same 
Jesus  which  is  taken  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come 
in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into  heaven."  11 :123. 

Jesus  is  our  captain  and  leader;  Jesus,  the  Savior  of  the 
world— the  Christ  that  we  believe  in.  14:118. 

I  testify  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Savior  and  Re- 
deemer of  the  world ,  I  have  obeyed  his  sayings,  and  real- 
ized his  promise,  and  the  knowledge  I  have  of  him,  the  wis- 
dom of  this  world  cannot  give,  neither  can  it  take  away 
18:233. 

My  faith  is  placed  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  my 
knowledge  I  have  received  from  him.  3:155. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — the  Savior,  who  has  redeemed 
the  world  and  all  things  pertaining  to  it,  is  the  Only  Be- 
gotten of  the  Father  pertaining  to  the  flesh.  He  is  our 
Elder  Brother,  and  the  Heir  of  the  family,  and  as  such  we 
worship  him.  He  has  tasted  death  for  every  man,  and  has 
paid  the  debt  contracted  by  our  first  parents.  12:6°), 

None  of  them  have  power  to  produce  themselves  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  Heir  of  this  vast  family.  He  said  that  he  had 
power  to  lay  down  his  life  and  take  it  up  again;  but  l^e 
had  no  more  power  to  produce  his  life,  in  the  beginning  of 
his  existence,  than  we  have.  Every  human  being  is  en- 
dowed, more  or  less,  with  eternal  intelligence,  with  the  germ 
of  life  everlasting,  of  glory  immortal.  8:153. 

He  did  nothing  of  himself  Me  wrought  miracles  and 
performed  a  good  work  on  the  earth ;  but  of  himself  he  did 
nothing.  He  said,  "As  I  have  seen  my  Father  do,  so  do  I.11 
"1  came  not  to  do  my  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me."  We  must  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Son  of 


THE    GODHEAD  41 

God  did  not  suggest,  dictate,  act,  or  produce  any  manifesta- 
tion of  his  power,  of  his  glory,  or  of  his  errand  upon  the 
earth,  only  as  it  came  from  the  mind  and  will  of  his  Father 
6.96. 

The  Lord  has  revealed  to  us  a  plan  by  which  we  may  be 
saved  both  here  and  hereafter.  God  has  done  everything 
we  could  ask,  and  more  than  we  could  ask.  The  errand  of 
Jesus  to  earth  was  to  bring  his  brethren  and  sisters  back 
into  the  presence  of  the  Father,  he  has  done  his  part  of 
the  work,  and  it  remains  for  us  to  do  ours  There  is  not 
one  thing  that  the  Lord  could  do  for  the  salvation  of  the 
human  family  that  he  has  neglected  to  do ;  and  it  remains 
for  the  children  of  men  to  receive  the  truth  or  reject  it;  all 
that  can  be  accomplished  for  their  salvation,  independent 
of  them,  has  been  accomplished  in  and  by  the  Savior.  It 
has  been  justly  remarked  this  afternoon  that  "Jesus  paid 
the  debt ;  he  atoned  for  the  original  sin ;  he  came  and  suf- 
fered and  died  on  the  cross "  He  is  now  King  of  kings  and 
Lords  of  lords,  and  the  time  will  come  when  every  knee  will 
bow  and  every  tongue  confess,  to  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  That  very  character  that 
was  looked  upon,  not  as  the  Savior,  but  as  an  outcast,  who 
was  crucified  between  two  thieves  and  treated  with  scorn 
and  derision,  will  be  greeted  by  all  men  as  the  only  Being 
through  whom  they  can  obtain  salvation.  13  '59. 

Jesus  was  appointed,  from  the  beginning,  to  die  for  our 
redemption,  and  he  suffered  an  excruciating  death  on  the 
cross.  8:115. 

He  has  died  to  redeem  it,  and  he  is  the  lawful  heir  per- 
taining to  this  earth  Jesus  will  continue  to  reign  with 
his  Father,  and  is  dictated  by  his  Father  in  all  his  acts  and 
ruling  and  governing  in  the  building  up  and  overthrow  of 


42  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIG  HAM  YOUNG 

nations,  to  make  the  wrath  of  man  praise  him,  until  he 
brings  all  into  subjection  to  his  will  and  government  And 
when  he  has  subdued  all  his  enemies,  destroyed  death  and 
him  that  hath  the  power  of  death,  and  perfected  his  woik, 
he  will  dehvei  up  the  kingdom  spotless  to  his  Father.  7  144 

The  character  we  have  been  healing  of  is  our  Savior  and 
Redeemer,  the  Savior  of  the  whole  world  of  mankind,  and 
of  all  creatuies  pertaining  to  the  caith,  and  the  earth  itself, 
for  all  will  be  redeemed  by  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God. 
14:130. 

The  moment  the  atonement  of  the  Savior  is  done  away, 
that  moment,  at  one  sweep,  the  hopes  of  salvation  enter- 
tained by  the  Christian  world  are  destioycd,  the  founda- 
tion of  their  faith  is  taken  away,  and  theie  is  nothing  left 
for  them  to  stand  upon  When  it  is  gone  all  the  revelations 
God  ever  gave  to  the  Jewish  nation,  to  the  Gentiles,  and  to 
us  are  rendered  valueless,  and  all  hope  is  taken  from  us 
at  one  sweep  14-41. 

The  knowledge  of  the  character  of  the  Only  Begotten 
of  the  Father  comes  to  us  through  the  testimony,  not  of  dis- 
interested witnesses,  but  of  his  friends,  those  who  were 
most  especially  and  deeply  interested  for  their  own  welfare, 
and  the  welfare  of  their  brethien  We  have  no  testimony 
concerning  the  Savior's  charactci  and  woiks,  only  from 
those  who  were  thus  interested  in  his  welfare  and  success, 
and  in  the  building  up  of  his  kingdom.  It  has  been  often 
said,  if  a  disinterested  witness  would  testify  that  Joseph 
Smith  is  a  prophet  of  God,  many  might  believe  his  testi- 
mony; but  no  person  could  be  believed,  by  any  intelligent 
person,  who  would  testify  to  a  matter  of  such  importance, 
and  who  would  still  view  it  as  a  thing  in  which  he  had  no 
interest.  But  they  who  are  interested,  who  know  the 


THE    GODHEAD  4-3 

worth  of  that  man  and  understand  the  spirit  and  the  power 
of  his  mission,  and  the  character  of  the  Being  that  sent  and 
ordained  him,  are  the  proper  persons  to  testify  of  the  truth 
of  his  mission,  and  they  are  the  most  interested  of  any 
living  upon  the  earth.  So  it  was  with  those  who  bore  wit- 
ness of  the  Savior,  and  of  his  mission  on  the  earth  11  41 

The  Latter-day  Saints  and  every  other  person  who  is 
entitled  to  salvation,  and  all  except  those  who  have  sjjuaed 
agamst_the  Holy  Ghost,  may  know  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ 
in  the  same  way  that  Peter  knew  it  Miracles  do  not  give 
this  knowledge  to  mankind,  though  they  may  serve  as  col- 
lateral evidence  to  strengthen  the  believer  The  miracles 
of  Jesus  were  known  to  the  Jews,  yet  they  suffered  him  to 
be  put  to  death  as  a  deceiver  of  mankind  and  one  possessed 
of  a  devil  10  193. 

Who  are  the  Saints ?  All  those  who  believe  in  Jesus 
Christ  and  keep  his  commandments  And  who  may  be 
Saints ?  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  for  Jesus  said, 
''Come  unto  me,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth,  and  be  ye  saved  " 
10-305. 

All  the  Lord  has  called  us  to  do  is  to  renovate  our  own 
hearts,  then  our  families,  extending  the  principle  to  neigh? 
boihoods,  to  the  earth  we  occupy,  and  so  continue  until 
we  drive  the  power  of  Satan  from  the  earth  and  Satan  to 
his  own  place  That  is  the  work  Jesus  is  engaged  in,  and 
we  will  be  co-workers  with  him  10-173 

"I  and  my  Father  are  one,"  says  Jesus;  what,  one  body? 
No,  it  never  entered  the  Savior's  mind  that  such  a  render- 
ing of  this  saying  would  ever  enter  into  the  minds  of  per- 
sons holding  the  least  claim  to  good  sense  They  are  no 
more  one  person  than  I  and  one  of  my  sons  are  one  person 
If  my  son  receives  my  teaching,  will  walk  in  the  path  I 


44  DISCOURSES  or  MIGHAM  YOUNG 

mark  out  for  him  to  walk  in,  if  his  faith  is  the  same  as  mine, 
his  purpose  is  the  same,  and  he  does  the  woik  of  his  father 
as  Jesus  did  the  work  of  his  Father,  then  is  my  son  one  with 
me  in  the  scriptural  sense  10  192. 

Inasmuch  as  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  aie  one, 
the  desire  of  the  Savior,  as  manifested  in  his  sayings  and 
teachings,  is,  that  his  people  should  also  be  one,  even  as  he 
and  his  Father  aie  one  6  97 

All  the  works  of  mankind  amount  to  but  little,  unless 
they  are  performed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  under  the 
direction  of  his  Spirit  Let  every  man  seek  to  learn  the 
things  of  God  by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ  to  himself 
10  1. 

Jesus  undertook  to  establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
the  eaith  He  introduced  the  laws  and  oidmances  of  the 
Kingdom  15 '125 

Jesus  Christ  will  draw  all  men  unto  him,  except  those 
who  contend  against  the  power  of  God  and  against  his 
Kingdom  until  they  have  sealed  their  own  damnation. 
11-238. 

Jesus  fulfilled  the  obligations  he  had  entered  into  as  the 
heir  of  all  things  pertaining  to  this  earth.  8:115. 

We,  the  Latter-day  Saints,  ceitainly  bche-ve  that  Chust 
will  accomplish  all  that  he  undertook  to  do,  but  he  never 
yet  said  he  would  save  a  sinner  in  his  sins,  but  that  he 
would  save  him  from  his  sins  He  has  instituted  laws  and 
ordinances  whereby  this  can  be  effected.  The  "Mormon" 
Elder  says  that  he  will  save  all  who  come  to  him,  all  who 
hearken  to  his  word  and  keep  his  commandments,  and  Jesus 
has  said,  "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments."  The 
"Mormon"  says,  "I  love  Jesus,  and  in  proof  of  it  I  keep 
his  commandments."  13:237 


THE    GODHEAD  45 

Jesus  will  redeem  the  last  and  least  of  the  sons  of  Adam, 
except  the  sons  of  perdition,  who  will  be  held  in  reserve 
for  another  time.  They  will  become  angels  of  the  Devil 
8:154. 

Christ  will  not  cease  his  labors  pertaining  to  this  earth 
until  it  is  redeemed  and  sanctified,  ready  to  be  presented 
spotless  to  the  Father.  10:18 

We  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  will  descend  from  heaven 
to  earth  again  even  as  he  ascended  into  heaven.  "Behold, 
he  cometh  with  clouds,  and  every  eye  shall  see  him,  and 
they  also  which  pierced  him  •  and  all  kindreds  of  the  earth 
shall  wail  because  of  him."  He  will  come  to  receive  his 
own,  and  rule  and  reign  king  of  nations  as  he  does  king 
of  Saints ,  "For  he  must  reign,  till  he  hath  put  all  enemies 
under  his  feet.  The  last  enemy  that  shall  be  destroyed  is 
death."  He  will  banish  sin  from  the  earth  and  its  dreadful 
consequences,  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  every  eye  and  there 
shall  be  nothing  to  hurt  or  destroy  in  all  God's  holy 
mountain  11  123. 

The  Savior  has  not  finished  his  work,  and  cannot  receive 
the  fulness  of  his  glory  until  the  influence  and  power  of  the 
wicked  are  overcome  and  -brought  into  subjection  When 
the  wicked  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  the  beasts  of  the  field, 
fowls  of  the  air,  fish  of  the  sea,  all  mineral  substances,  and 
all  else  pertaining  to  this  earth,  are  overcome,  then  he  will 
take  the  kingdom,  present  it  to  the  Father,  and  say,  "Here 
is  the  work  you  gave  me  to  do — you  made  the  appointment 
— I  have  wrought  faithfully,  and  here  are  my  brethren  and 
sisters  who  have  wrought  with  me  We  have  wrought  faith- 
fully together,  we  have  overcome  the  flesh,  hell  and  the 
Devil.  I  have  overcome,  they  have  followed  in  my  foot- 
steps, and  here  are  all  thou  hast  given  me ;  I  have  lost  none, 
except  the  sons  of  perdition."  8 :118. 


46  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGIIAM  YOUNG 

When  he  again  visits  this  eaith,  he  will  come  to  thor- 
oughly purge  his  kingdom  from  wickedness,  and,  as  mlcr 
of  the  nations,  to  dictate  and  admimslei  to  them  as  the  licii 
to  the  kingdom ;  and  the  Gentiles  will  be  as  much  mistaken 
iti  regaid  to  his  second  advent  as  the  Jews  weie  in  relation 
to  the  first  8  115. 

Take  a  pride  in  acknowledging  the  Savior,  Tiam  and 
educate  yourselves  until  you  will  take  a  pride  in  acknowl- 
edging God,  the  Authoi  of  all.  Take  a  pride  in  the  icligion 
that  makes  you  pure  and  holy,  and  that  pioduces  in  the 
heart  of  every  individual  who  cmbiaces  it  a  feeling  to  be 
tiuthful  in  every  woid  he  speaks,  to  be  honest  in  every  act 
he  peifoims,  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  neighbors,  Take 
a  pride  in  this  and  fear  not  the  wicked  12  '326 

The  Latter-day  Saints  believe  in  the  Gospel  of  the  Son 
of  God,  simply  because  it  is  tiue  They  believe  in  baptism 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  personal  and  by  proxy;  they  be- 
lieve that  Jesus  is  the  Savioi  of  the  world ,  they  believe  that 
all  who  attain  to  any  glory  whatever,  in  any  kingdom,  will 
do  so  because  Jesus  has  purchased  it  by  his  atonement. 
13  323 

The  Holy  Ghost — The  Holy  Ghost,  we  believe,  is  one  of 
the  characters  that  form  the  Trinity,  or  the  Godhead.  Not 
one  person  in  three,  nor  three  persons  in  one;  but  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  are  one  in  essence,  as  the 
hearts  of  thiee  men  who  are  united  in  all  things  He  is  one 
of  the  three  characters  we  believe  in,  whose  office  it  is  to 
administer  to  those  of  the  human  family  who  love  the  truth 
I  have  stated  that  they  are  one,  as  the  hearts  of  three  men 
might  be  one.  Lest  you  should  mistake  me,  I  will  say  that 
I  do  not  wish  you  to  understand  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  a 
personage  having  a  tabernacle,  like  the  Father  and  the  Son ; 


THE    GODHEAD  47 

but  he  is  God's  messenger  that  diffuses  his  influence  through 
all  the  works  of  the  Almighty.  6:95. 

Not  a  desire,  act,  wish,  or  thought  does  the  Holy  Ghost 
indulge  in  contrary  to  that  which  is  dictated  by  the  Father 
6.95, 

Now  ask  yourselves  whether  you  believe  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  ever  commenced  to  produce  a  work  or  an  effect  be- 
fore it  was  in  the  heart  and  mmd  of  that  Being  we  call  oui 
Heavenly  Father.  Do  you  think  that  the  Holy  Ghost  ever 
thought  of  dictating  that  Being  we  call  our  God?  This 
whole  people  have  learned  enough  upon  this  subject  to 
answer  at  once,  that  we  do  not  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
ever  dictated,  suggested,  moved,  or  pretended  to  offer  a 
plan,  except  that  which  the  Eternal  Father  dictated  6  95 

Though  a  man  should  say  but  a  few  words,  and  his  sen- 
tences and  words  be  ever  so  ungrammatical,  if  he  speaks 
by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  will  do  good.  8  120. 

I  have  proven  to  my  satisfaction,  according  to  the  best 
knowledge  I  can  gather,  that  man  can  be  deceived  by  the 
sight  of  the  natural  eye,  he  can  be  deceived  by  the  hearing 
of  the  ear,  and  by  the  touch  of  the  hand;  that  he  can  be 
deceived  in  all  of  what  is  called  the  natural  senses.  But 
there  is  one  thing  m  which  he  cannot  be  deceived.  What 
is  that?  It  is  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Spirit 
and  power  of  God  upon  the  creature.  It  teaches  him  of 
heavenly  things }  it  directs  him  in  the  way  of  life ;  it  affords 
him  the  key  by  which  he  can  test  the  devices  of  man,  and 
which  recommends  the  things  of  God.  Not  only  the  Saints 
who  are  present,  and  who  gathered  to  Zion,  but  those  of 
every  nation,  continent,  or  island  who  live  the  religion 
taught  by  our  Savior  and  his  Apostles,  and  also  by  Joseph 
Smith;  they  also  bear  the  same  testimony,  their  eyes  have 


48  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

been  quickened  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  they  see  alike, 
their  heaits  have  been  quickened,  and  they  feel  and  under- 
stand alike,  and  there  are  no  disputations  among  them  with 
regard  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Savior  18  -230 

Again  it  is  asked . — "Is  the  Holy  Ghost  given  in  this  age 
of  the  woild?"  Yes,  but  they  could  not  send  men  to  Joppa 
for  Peter,  for  behold  there  was  no  Peter,  or  men  possess- 
ing the  holy  Priesthood,  to  send  for,  neither  has  there  been 
since  the  church  lost  the  holy  Priesthood,  until  it  was 
restored  through  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  Cornelius  did 
not  belong' to  the  House  of  Israel,  yet  he  received  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Continue  this  history,  and  what  docs  it  give  to  us? 
It  gives  to  us  the  key  of  knowledge  with  regard  to  receiving 
the  Holy  Ghost  through  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  that 
it  is  free  to  all,  Jew  and  Gentile,  as  Peter  exclaimed  when 
Cornelius  had  related  to  him  how  he  was  instiuctcd  to 
send  men  to  Joppa-  "Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons,  but  in  every  nation,  he  that  feareth 
him  and  woiketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  of  him."  10:322. 

Without  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  a  person  is  liable 
to  go  to  the  right  or  the  left  from  the  straight  path  of  duty ; 
they  are  liable  to  do  things  they  are  sorry  for;  they  are 
liable  to  make  mistakes ;  and  when  they  try  to  do  their  best, 
behold  they  do  that  which  they  dislike.  10 :289. 

I  want  to  see  men  and  women  breathe  the  Holy  Ghost  in 
every  breath  of 'their  lives,  living  constantly  in  the  light  of 
God's  countenance.  9:288-289. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN 
GOD   AND   MAN 

The  Spirit  of  God— God  is  here :  his  influence  fills  im- 
mensity. He  has  his  messengers  throughout  all  the  works 
of  his  hands.  He  watches  every  one  of  his  creatures ;  their 
acts,  their  affections,  and  thoughts  are  all  known  to  him; 
for  his  intelligence  and  power  fill  immensity.  Not  that  his 
person  does,  but  his  Spirit  does;  and  he  is  here  teaching, 
guiding  and  directing  the  nations  of  the  earth.  7:159. 

The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  enlightens  every  man  that  comes 
into  the  world.  There  is  no  one  that  lives  upon  the  earth 
but  what  is,  more  or  less,  enlightened  by  the  'Spirit  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  It  is  said  of  him,  that  he  is  the  light  of  the 
world.  He  lighteth  every  ^man  that  comes  into  the  world 
and  every  person,  at  times,  has  the  light  of  the  spirit  of 
truth  upon  him.  14:201. 

I  do  not  believe  for  one  moment  that  there  has  been  a 
man  or  woman  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  from  the  days 
of  Adam  to  this  day,  who  has  not  been  enlightened,  in- 
structed, and  taught  by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ. 
"What!  the  ignorant  heathen?"  Yes,  every  human  being 
who  has  possessed  a  sane  mind.  I  am  far  from  believing 
that  the  children  of  men  have  been  deprived  of  the  privilege 
of  receiving  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  teach  them  right  from 
wrong.  No  matter  what  the  traditions  of  their  fathers  were,- 
those  who  were  honest  before  the  Lord,  and  acted  up- 
rightly, according  to  the  best  knowledge  they  had,  will 
have  an  opportunity  to  go  into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  I  be- 
live  this  privilege  belonged  to  the  sons  and  daughters  of 


50  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Adam,  and  descended  from  him,  and  his  children  who  were 
contemporaiy  with  him,  throughout  all  gcneiations  2  139. 

All  who  would  understand  the  things  of  God  must  un- 
derstand them  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  8  115. 

I  will,  in  the  commencement  of  my  remarks,  take  up  a 
subject  upon  which  much  has  been  said  in  the  pulpit  and 
in  the  chimney  corner,  It  is  regarding  the  Spuit  of  the 
Lord  manifesting  his  will  to  his  childien.  There  is  no 
doubt,  if  a  person  lives  according  to  the  revelations  given 
to  God's  people,  he  may  have  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  sig- 
nify to  him  his  will,  and  to  guide  and  to  direct  him  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties,  in  his  temporal  as  well  as  his  spnit- 
ual  exercises.  I  am  satisfied,  however,  that  in  this  icspect, 
we  live  far  beneath  our  privileges.  If  this  is  true,  it  is  nec- 
essary that  we  become  more  fervent  in  the  service  of  God — 
in  living  our  religion — and  more  truthful  and  honest  with 
one  another,  that  we  be  not  slack  in  the  perfoimance  of  any 
duty,  but  labor  with  a  right  good  will  for  God  and  truth 
If  this  people,  called  .Latter-day  Saints,  live  beneath  their 
privileges  in  the  holy  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  are  they 
justified  in  every  respect  before  him'1  They  are  not.  If 
we  do  not  live  in  the  lively  exercise  of  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus,  possessing  his  Spirit  always,  how  can  we  know  when 
he  speaks  to  us  through  his  servants  whom  he  has  placed 
to  lead  us?  12-104 

The  light  of  the  Spirit  upon  the  hearts  and  understand- 
ings of  some  Latter-day  Saints,  is  like  the  peeping  of  the 
stars  through  the  broken  shingles  of  the  roof  over  our 
heads,  when  we  are  watching  through  the  silent  watches 
of  the  night  and  behold  the  glimmer  of  a  twinkling  star. 
15:3. 

No  man  can  gain  influence  in  this  Kingdom,  and  mam- 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN   GOD  AND   MAN  51 

tain  himself  in  it,  or  magnify  his  calling,  without  the  power 
of  God  being  with  him  Persons  must  so  live  that  they 
can  enjoy  the  light  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  they  will  have 
no  confidence  in  themselves,  in  their  religion,  or  m  their 

God,  and  will  sooner  or  later  turn  from  the  faith    8  65. 

i 

You  need  the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty  to  look  through 
a  man  and  discern  what  is  in  his  heart,  while  his  face  smiles 
upon  you  and  his  words  flow  as  smoothly  as  oil  3  225. 

Thrust  a  man  into  prison  and  bind  him  with  chains,  and 
then  let  him  be  filled  with  the  comfort  and  with  the  glory  of 
eternity,  and  that  prison  is  a  palace  to  him  Again,  let  a 
man  be  seated  upon  a  throne  with  power  and  dominion  in 
this  world,  i tiling  his  millions  and  millions  and  without 
that  peace  which  flows  from  the  Lord  of  Hosts — without 
that  contentment  and  joy  that  comes  from  heaven,  his  pal- 
ace is  a  prison ;  his  life  is  a  burden  to  him ,  he  lives  in  fear, 
in  dread,  and  in  sorrow  But  when  a  person  is  filled  with 
the  peace  and  power  of  God,  all  is  right  with  him.  5 .1-2. 

There  are  men  of  talent,  of  thought,  of  reflection,  and 
knowledge  m  all  cunning  mechanism,  they  are  expert  in 
that,  though  they  do  not  know  from  whence  they  receive 
their  intelligence.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  has  not  yet  en- 
tirely done  striving  with  the  people,  offering  them  knowl- 
edge and  intelligence;  consequently,  it  reveals  unto  them, 
instructs  them,  teaches  them,  and  guides  them  even  in  the 
way  they  like  to  travel  Men  know  how  to  construct  rail- 
roads and  all  manner  of  machinery,  they  understand  cun- 
ning workmanship,  etc. ;  but  that  is  all  revealed  to  them  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  though  they  know  it  not.  5  -124 

I  rejoice  in  the  privilege  of  meeting  with  the  Saints,  in 
hearing  them  speak,  and  in  enj'oymg  the  influence  that  is 
within  and  around  them.  That  influence  opens  to  my 


52  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

understanding  the  true  position  of  those  who  are  endeavor- 
ing to  serve  their  God.  I  do  not  require  to  hear  them  speak 
to  enable  me  to  know  their  feelings.  Is  it  not  also  your 
experience  that,  when  you  meet  persons  in  the  streets,  in 
your  houses,  m  your  offices,  or  in  your  woikshops,  more  or 
less  of  an  influence  attends  them  which  conveys  more  than 
words  can?  By  this  the  Father  knows  his  childien,  Jesus 
knows  his  brethren,  and  the  angels  aie  acquainted  with 
those  who  delight  to  associate  with  them  and  with  those 
who  hate  them  This  knowledge  is  obtained  through  that 
invisible  influence  which  attends  intelligent  beings,  and 
betrays  the  atmospheie  in  which  they  delight  to  live.  8.57. 

Without  the  light  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  no  person  can 
truly  enjoy  life.  8.66 

Now,  my  friends,  brethren  and  sisters,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, how  do  you  know  anything?  Can  you  be  deceived  by 
the  eye?  You  can,  you  have  proved  this;  you  all  know 
that  there  are  men  who  can  deceive  the  sight  of  the  eye, 
no  matter  how  closely  you  observe  their  movements.  Can 
you  be  deceived  in  hearing ?  Yes;  you  may  hear  sounds  but 
not  understand  their  import  or  whence  they  come.  Can 
you  be  deceived  by  the  touch  of  the  finger ?  You  can  The 
nervous  system  will  not  detect  everything.  What  will? 
The  revelations  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  spirit  of  truth 
will  detect  everything,  and  enable  all  who  possess  it  to 
understand  truth  from  error,  light  from  darkness,  the  things 
of  God  from  the  things  not  of  God  It  is  the  only  thing 
that  will  enable  us  to  understand  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of 
God,  the  will  of  God,  and  how  we  can  be  saved.  Follow  it, 
and  it  will  lead  to  God,  the  Fountain  of  light,  where  the  gate 
will  be  open,  and  the  mind  will  be  enlightened  so  that  we 
shall  see,  know  and  understand  things  as  they  are.  13 :336 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND   MAN  53 

There  is  not  a  man  upon  the  earth  who  can  magnify  even 
an  earthly  office,  without  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God  to 
aid  him.  10  42 

The  eloquence  of  angels  never  can  convince  any  person 
that  God  lives  and  makes  truth  the  habitation  of  his  throne, 
independent  of  that  eloquence  being  clothed  with  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  in  the  absence  of  this,  it  would  be  a 
combination  of  useless  sounds  What  is  it  that  convinces 
man?  It  is  the  influence  of  the  Almighty,  enlightening  his 
mind,  giving  instruction  to  the  understanding,  when  that 
which  inhabits  this  body,  that  which  came  from  the  regions 
of  Glory,  is  enlightened  by  the  influence,  power  and  Spirit 
of  the  Father  of  light,  it  swallows  up  the  organization 
which  pertains  to  this  world.  1 ,90. 

Those  who  love  righteousness  and  possess  the  Spirit  of 
God,  those  who  delight  to  do  good  can  remember  good 
They  can  remember  every  good  principle  and  every  good 
act.  3-358 

What  causes  this  people  to  do  do  they  ^  s  Tt  is  written, 
"But  there  is  a  spirit  in  man,  and  the  inspiration  of  the 
Almighty  giveth  them  understanding."  It  is  a  spirit  that 
causes  this  people  to  do  what  they  do — to  leave  their  native 
countries,  to  leave  their  fathers  and  mothers,  brethren  and 
sisters,  and  take  up  their  line  of  march  and  travel  thousands 
of  miles  to  this  distant  country;  and  then,  when  selected 
for  missions,  again  to  leave  their  fathers,  mothers,  and 
friends,  and  travel  back  to  their  native  lands,  or  to  some 
other  place,  wherever  they  are  appointed  to  go.  We  can- 
not behold  that  spirit  and  influence  with  our  natural  eyes. 
The  results  alone  are  known.  8:174. 

You  hearken  to  that  still  small  voice  that  whispers  eter- 
nal truth,  that  opens  the  visions  of  eternity  to  you  that  you 


54  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIG  HAM  YOUNG 

can  discern,  understand  and  follov,  and  the  foul  spirits  that 
throng  the  air,  and  that  fill  our  houses  if  we  let  them  in, 
will  not  have  power  over  you,  15  7 

Every  individual  that  lives  according  to  the  Jaws  that 
the  Lord  has  given  to  his  people,  and  has  received  the  bless- 
ings that  he  has  in  store  for  the  faithful,  should  be  able  to 
know  the  things  of  God  from  the  things  which  are  not  of 
God,  the  light  from  the  darkness,  that  which  comes  from 
heaven  and  that  which  comes  from  somewhere  else  This 
is  the  satisfaction  and  the  consolation  that  the  Latter-day 
Saints  enjoy  by  living  their  religion ;  this  is  the  knowledge 
which  every  one  who  thus  lives  possesses.  16.163. 

Now,  I  ask  the  wise,  where  did  you  get  your  wisdom? 
Was  it  taught  you?  Yes,  I  say  it  was  taught  you  By 
your  professors  in  college7  No,  it  was  taught  you  by  the 
influence  of  the  spirit  that  is  in  man,  and  the  inspiration  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  giveth  it  understanding,  and  every  crea- 
ture can  thus  add  intelligence  to  intelligence  13-172 

Revelatior  ^To  person  can  leceive  a  knowledge  of  this 
work,  except  by  the  power  of  revelation  8.315. 

The  spirit  of  revelation,  even  the  spirit  of  eternal  life,  is 
within  that  person  who  lives  so  as  to  bear  pioperly  the 
yoke  of  Jesus  The  heavens  are  open  to  such  persons,  and 
they  see  and  understand  things  that  pertain  to  eternity,  and 
also  the  things  that  pertain  to  this  earth.  8 :206 

The  spirit  of  revelation  attends  the  Gospel,  and  without 
that  spirit  no  man  can  understand  it.  8 '130' 

Many  of  the  first  revelations  given  to  Joseph  were  of  a 
temporal  character,  pertaining  to  a  literal  kingdom  on  the 
earth.  And  most  of  the  revelations  he  received  in  the  early 
part  of  his  ministry  pertained  to  what  the  few  around  him 
should  do  in  this  or  in  that  case—when  and  how  they  should 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN     -  55 

perform  their  duties,  at  the  same  time  calling  upon  them 
to  preach  the  Gospel  and  diffuse  the  spirit  and  principles 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  that  their  eyes  might  be  open  to 
see  and  gather  the  people  together  that  they  might  begin 
and  organize  a  literal,  temporal  organization  on  the  earth 
6  171 

How  can  you  know  the  Latter-day  work  to  be  true? 
You  can  know  it  only  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  direct  from 
heaven. 

What  proved  this  work  true  to  you  in  England,  Ire- 
land, Scotland,  Germany,  France,  the  United  States,  etc.? 
Was  it  not  the  spirit  of  revelation  that  rested  upon  you? 
Then  why  should  you  lose  the  spirit ?  You  should  add  to 
it  day  by  day,  you  should  add  as  the  Lord 'gives— a  little 
here  and  a  little  there,  and  treasure  up  truth  in  your  faith 
and  understanding,  until  you  become  perfect  before  the 
Lord  >and  are  prepared  to  receive  the  further  things  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  7-159-160 

This  principle  we  are  in  possession  of,  and  it  should  be 
nourished  and  cherished  by  us,  it  is  the  principle  of  revela- 
tion, or,  if  you  like  the  term  better,  of  foreseeing  There 
are  those  who  possess  fore-knowledge,  who  do  not  believe 
as  we  believe  with  regard  'to  the  establishment  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  on  the  earth.  Take  the  statesman,  for  instance ; 
he  has  a  certain  degree  of  knowledge  with  regard  to  the 
results  of  the  measures  which  he  may  recommend,  but  does 
he  know  whence  he  derived  that  knowledge?  No.  He  may 
say  •  "I  foresee  if  we  take  this  course  we  shall  perpetuate 
our  government  and  strengthen  it,  but  if  we  take  the  oppo- 
site course  we  will  destroy  it "  But  can  he  tell  whence  he 
has  received  that  wisdom  and  fore-knowledge?  He  cannot, 
Yet  that  is  the  condition  of  the  statesmen  in  the  nations  of 


56  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  earth  If  the  philosopher  can  gaze  into  the  immensity 
of  space,  and  understand  how  to  fashion  and  make  glasses 
that  will  magnify  a  million  times,  that  knowledge  comes 
from  the  Fountain  of  knowledge.  A  man  of  the  world  may 
say:  "I  can  foresee,  I  can  understand,  I  can  fiame  an  en- 
gine, make  a  track,  and  run  that  engine  upon  it,  bearing 
along  a  tram  of  loaded  cars  at  the  rate  of  forty,  fifty,  or 
sixty  miles  an  hour."  Another  may  say :  "I  can  take  the 
lightning,  convey  it  on  wires,  and  speak  to  foreign  nations  " 
But  where  do  they  get  this  wisdom?  From  the  same  source 
wheie  you  and  I  get  our  wisdom  and  our  knowledge  of  God 
and  godliness.  12  112-13. 

But  we  should  all  live  so  that  the  Spirit  of  revelation 
could  dictate  and  write  on  the  heart  and  tell  us  what  we 
should  do,  instead  of  the  traditions  of  our  patents  and  teach- 
ers. But  to  do  this  we  must  become  like  little  children;  and 
Jesus  says  if  we  do  not  we  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  How  simple  it  is '  Live  free  from  envy,  malice, 
wrath,  strife,  bitter  feelings,  and  evil  speaking  in  our  fam- 
ilies and  about  our  neighbors  and  friends  and  all  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth,  wherevei  we  meet  them  Live  so  that 
our  consciences  are  free,  clean  and  clear.  14  161. 

No  man  can  know  Jesus  the  Christ  except  it  be  revealed 
from  heaven  to  him.  14  199. 

No  earthly  argument,  no  earthly  reasoning  can  open  the 
rnmds  of  intelligent  beings  and  show  them  heavenly  things ; 
that  can  only  be  done  by  the  Spirit  of  revelation.  18*249, 

When  the  Spirit  of  revelation  from  God  inspires  a  man, 
his  mind  is  opened  to  behold  the  beauty,  order,  and  glory 
of  the  creation  of  this  earth  and  its  inhabitants,  the  object 
of  its  creation,  and  the  purpose  of  its  Creator  in  peopling 
it  with  his  children.  He  can  then  clearly  understand  that 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  57 

our  existence  here  is  for  the  sole  purpose  of  exaltation  and 
restoration  to  the  presence  of  our  Father  and  God,  where 
we  may  progress  endlessly  in  the  power  of  godliness.  After 
the  mind  has  thus  been  illuminated,  the  ignorance  and  blind- 
ness of  the  great  mass  of  mankind  are  more  apparent.  Yet 
there  is  no  son  or  daughter  of  Adam  and  Eve  who  has  not 
incorporated  in  his  organization  the  priceless  gem  of  end- 
less life,  for  the  endless  duration  and  endless  lives  which 
they  are  approaching.  9  256 

Without  the  revelations  of  God  we  know  not  who  we 
are,  whence  we  came,  nor  who  formed  the  earth  on  which 
we  live,  move  and  have  our  being  Did  I  bring  the  particles 
of  matter  together  and  form  the  earth?  No  Did  you,  Mr. 
Philosopher ?  No?  Did  you  Mr  Infidel,  or  you  Mr.  Chris- 
tian, Pagan  or  Jew?  No,  not  any  of  us.  We  know  that 
we  are  here,  but  who  brought  us  here,  or  how  we  came  are 
questions  the  solution  of  which  depends  upon  a  power  su- 
perior to  ours  The  ideas  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
with  regard  to  the  destiny  of  the  earth,  are  very  crude  and 
vague.  But  we  must  all  acknowledge  that  some  individual, 
being,  power  or  influence  superior  to  ourselves  produced 
us  and  the  earth  and  brought  us  forth  and  holds  us  m  exist- 
ence, and  causes  the  revolutions  of  the  earth  and  of  the 
planetary  system.  These  are  facts  that  neither  we  nor  ail 
mankind  can  controvert,  the  whole  Christian  and  even  the 
heathen  world  will  acknowledge  all  this ;  but  what  do  they 
know  about  it?  Who  understands  the  modus  operandi  by 
which  all  this  was  brought  about  and  continued?  Who  is 
able  to  leap  forth  into  the  immensity  of  thought,  space,  con- 
templation and  research,  and  search  out  the  principles  by 
which  we  are  here  and  by  which  we  are  sustained?  The 
strangest  phenomenon  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  to- 


58  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

day  is  that  God,  the  maker  and  preserver  of  the  earth  and 
all  it  contains,  should  speak  from  heaven  to  his  creatures, 
the  works  of  his  hands  heie  What  would  there  be  strange 
in  the  mechanician,  after  constituting  the  most  beautiful 
and  ingenious  piece  pf  mechanism  it  is  possible  to  conceive 
of,  speaking  to  it  and  admiring  the  beauty,  regularity  and 
order  of  "its  motions  ?  Nothing  whatever.  Well,  to  me  it 
is  not  at  all  strange  that  he  who  framed  and  fashioned  this 
beautiful  world  and  all  the  myriads  and  varieties  of  organ- 
izations it  contains,  should  come  and  visit  them;  to  me  this 
is  perfectly  natuial,  and  when  we  remember  and  compare 
the  belief  of  this  people  with  that  of  the  rest  of  the  world 
we  need  not  be  sui prised  at  being  considered  "a  strange 
people"  13-234 

How  do  we  know  that  prophets  wrote  the  word  of  the 
Lord ?  By  revelation  How  do  we  know  that  Joseph  Smith 
was  called  of  God  to  establish  his  Kingdom  upon  the  earth ? 
By  revelation  How  do  we  know  that  the  leaders  of  this 
people  teach  the  truth?  By  revelation.  How  do  we  know 
the  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins  to  be  true  ? 
It  is  written  in  the  Bible ,  but  the  Christian  world  deny  it, 
because  it  is  not  manifested  to  them  by  the  revelations  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  14  209 

Without  revelation  direct  from  heaven,  it  is  impossible 
foi  any  person  to  understand  fully  the  plan  of  salvation. 
We  often  hear  it  said  that  the  living  oracles  must  be  in  the 
Church,  in  order  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  may  be  estab- 
lished and  prosper  on  the  earth.  I  will  give  another  ver- 
sion of  this  sentiment  I  say  that  the  living  oracles  of  God, 
or  the  Spirit  of  revelation  must  be  in  each  and  every  in- 
dividual, to  know  the  plan  of  salvation  and  keep  in  the  path 
that  leads  them  to  the  presence  of  God.  9 :279. 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  59 

This  people  believe  in  revelation.  This  people  did  be- 
lieve and  do  believe  that  the  Lord  has  spoken  from  the 
heavens  They  did  believe  and  do  believe  that  God  has 
sent  angels  to  proclaim  the  everlasting  Gospel,  according 
to  the  testimony  of  John  It  was  this  that  gave  rise  to  the 
malice,  hatred  and  vindictive  feelings  that  have  been  so 
often  made  manifest  against  them.  12  282 

When  a  revelation  is  given  to  any  people,  they  must 
walk  according  to  it,  or  suffer  the  penalty  which  is  the 
punishment  of  disobedience,  but  when  the  word  is,  "will 
you  do  thus  and  so?"  "it  is  the  mind  and  will  of  God  that 
you  perform  such  and  such  a  duty/'  the  consequences  of 
disobedience  are  not  so  dreadful,  as  they  would  be  if  the 
word  of  the  Lord  were  to  be  written  under  the  declaration, 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord  "  12  127 

Instead  of  considering  that  there  is  nothing  known  and 
understood,  only  as  we  know  and  understand  things  nat- 
urally, I  take  the  other  side  of  the  question,  and  believe 
positively  that  there  is  nothing  known  except  by  the  rev- 
elation of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whether  m  theology,  sci- 
ence, or  art.  12 :207. 

It  pleases  me  a  little  to  think  how  anxious  this  people 
are  for  new  revelation.  I  wish  to  ask  you  a  question:  Do 
this  people  know  whether  they  have  received  any  revela- 
tion since, the  death  of  Joseph,  as  a  people?  I  can  tell  you 
that  you  receive  them  continually  6  282. 

All  the  revelations  of  God  teach  simply  this— son, 
daughter,  you  are  the  workmanship  of  mine  hands,  walk 
and  live  before  me  in  righteousness ,  let  your  conversations 
be  chaste;  let  .your  daily  deportment  be  according  to  my 
law,  let  your  dealings  one  with  another  be  in  justice  and 
equity;  let  my  character  be  sacred  in  your  mouth,  and  do 


60  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

not  profane  my  holy  name  and  trample  upon  my  authority ; 
do  not  despise  any  of  my  sayings,  for  I  will  not  be  dis- 
graced 6  284-85. 

It  has  been  observed  that  the  people  want  revelation. 
This  is  a  revelation ;  and  were  it  written,  it  would  then  be 
written  revelation,  as  truly  as  the  revelations  which  aie 
contained  in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  I  could 
give  you  revelation  upon  the  subject  of  paying  your  tith- 
ing and  building  a  temple  to  the  name  of  the  Lord ;  for  the 
light  is  in  me  I  could  put  these  revelations  as  straight  to 
the  line  of  truth  in  writing  as  any  revelation  you  ever  read. 
I  could  write  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  and  you  could  put  it  m 
your  pockets.  But  before  we  desire  more  written  revelation, 
let  us  fulfil  the  revelations  that  aie  already  written,  and 
which  we  have  scarcely  begun  to  fulfil.  6 .319. 

In  every  part  and  portion  of  the  revelations  of  God  as 
given  to  the  children  of  men,  or  to  any  individual  in  heaven 
or  on  earth,  to  understand  them  properly,  a  man  needs  the 
Spirit  by  which  they  were  given — the  Spirit  that  reveals 
such  matters  to  the  understanding,  and  makes  them  famil- 
iar to  the  mind  8  27 

There  are  revelations,  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  under- 
standing yet  to  be  proclaimed.  8  59 

"Well,  Brother  Brigham,  have  you  had  visions?"  Yes, 
I  have  "Have  you  had  revelations7"  Yes,  I  have  them 
all  the  time,  I  live  constantly  by  the  principle  of  revelation, 
I  never  received  one  iota  of  intelligence,  from  the  letter  A 
to  what  I  now  know,  I  mean  that,  from  the  very  start  of  my 
life  to  this  time,  I  have  never  received  one  particle  of  in- 
telligence, only  by  revelation,  no  matter  whether  father  or 
mother  revealed  it,  or  my  sister,  or  neighbor. 

No  person  receives  knowledge,  only  upon  the  principle 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  61 

of  revelation,  that  is,  by  having  something  revealed  to  them. 
"Do  you  have  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ?"  I 
will  leave  that  for  others  to  judge.  If  the  Lord  requires 
anything  of  this  people,  and  speaks  through  me,  I  will  tell 
them  of  it ;  but  if  he  does  not,  still  we  all  live  by  the  prin- 
ciple of  revelation  Who  reveals?  Everybody  around  us; 
we  learn  of  each  other.  I  have  something  which  you  have 
not,  and  you  have -something  which  I  have  not;  I  reveal 
what  I  have  to  you,  and  you  reveal  what  you  have  to  me 
I  believe  that  we  are  revelators  to  each  other  Are  the  heav- 
ens opened?  Yes,  to  some  at  times,  yet  upon  natural  prin- 
ciples upon  the  principle  of  natural  philosophy  "Do  you 
know  the  will  and  mind  of  the  Lord ?" '  YeSj  concerning  this 
people,  and  concerning  myself.  Does  every  one  of  my  breth- 
ren and  sisters  know  the  will  of  the  Lord?  Let  me  say  to 
the  Latter-day  Saints,  if  they  will  take  up  their  cross  and 
follow  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  regeneration,  many  of 
them  will  receive  more,  know  more,  and  have  more  of  the 
Spirit  of  revelation  than  they  are  aware  of ,  but  the  revela- 
tions which  I  receive  are  all  upon  natural  principles.  3 :209 
I  am  so  far  from  believing  that  any  government  upon 
this  earth  has  constitutions  and  laws! that  are  perfect,  that 
I  do  not  even  believe  that  there  is  a  single  revelation,  among 
the  many  God  has  given  to  the  Church,  that  is  perfect  in 
its  fulness.  The  revelations  of  God  contain  correct  doc- 
trine and  principle,  so  far  as  they  go ,  but  it  is  impossible 
for  the  poor,  weak,  low,  grovelling,  sinful  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  to  receive  a  revelation  from  the  Almighty  in  all  its 
perfections.  He  has  to  speak  to  us  in  a  manner  to  meet  the 
extent  of  our  capacities,  as  we  have  to  do  with  these  be- 
nighted Lamanites ,  it  would  be  of  no  benefit  to  talk  to  them 
as  I  am  now  speaking  to  you.  Before  you  can  enter  into 


62  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

conversation  with  them,  give  them  your  ideas,  you  are  un- 
der the  necessity  of  condescending  to  their  low  estate,  so  far 
as  communication  is  concerned,  in  order  to  exalt  them. 
2314. 

The  construction  of  the  electric  telegraph  and  the 
method  of  using  it  enabling  the  people  to  send  messages 
from  one  end  of  the  earth  to  the  other,  is  just  as  much  a 
revelation  from  God  as  any  ever  given  The  same  is  true 
with  regard  to  making  machinery,  whether  it  be  a  steam- 
boat, a  carding  machine,  threshing  machine,  or  anything 
else,  it  makes  no  difference— these  things  have  existed  from 
all  eternity  and  will  continue  to  all  eternity,  and  the  Lord 
has  revealed  them  to  his  children  13  305. 

Many  are  pleading  for  revelations ,  do  you  suppose  that 
Saints  lack  revelations'1  They  have  plenty  of  them,  and 
they  are  stored  in  the  archives  of  those  ,who  have  under- 
standing of  the  principles  of  the  Priesthood,  ready  to  be 
brought  forth  as  the  people  need,  3  337. 

Men  who  know  nothing  of  the  Priesthood  receive  revel- 
ation and  prophecy,  and  yet  these  gifts  belong  to  the 
Church,  and  those  who  are  faithful  in  the  Kingdom  of  God 
inherit  them  and  are  entitled  to  them ,  and  all  ought  to  live 
so  as  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  these  gifts  and  callings  con- 
tinually. 11-325. 

Should  you  receive  a  vision  or  revelation  from  the  Al- 
mighty, one  that  the  Lord  gave  you  concerning  yourselves, 
or  this  people,  but  which  you  are  not  to  reveal  on  account 
of  your  not  being  the  proper  person,  or  because  it  ought  not 
to  be  known  by  the  people  at  present,  you  should  shut  it 
up  and  seal  it  as  close,  and  lock  it  as  tight  as  heaven  is  to 
you,  and  make  it  as  secret  as  the  grave,  The  Lord  has  no 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND   MAN  63 

confidence  in  those  who  reveal  secrets,  for  he  cannot  safely 
reveal  himself  to  such  persons.  4  288. 

Take  a  course  to  open  and  keep  open  a  communication 
with  your  Elder  Brother  or  file-leader— our  Savior.  Were 
I  to  draw  a  distinction  in  all  the  duties  that  are  required 
of  the  children  of  men,  from  first  to  last,  I  would  place  first 
and  foremost  the  duty  of  seeking  unto  the  Lord  our  God 
until  we  open  the  path  of  communication  from  heaven  to 
earth— from  God  to  our  own  souls.  Keep  every  avenue  of 
your  hearts  clean  and  pure  before  him.  8  -339. 

That  man  who  cannot  know  things  without  telling  any 
other  living  being  upon  the  earth,  who  cannot  keep  his 
secrets  and  those  that  God  reveals  to  him,  never  can  receive 
the  voice  of  his  Lord  to  dictate  him  and  the  people  on  this 
earth.  4:287. 

It  was  asked  me  by  a  gentleman  how  I  guided  the  peo- 
ple by  revelation  I  teach  them  to  live  so  that  the  Spirit1 
of  revelation  may  make  plain  to  them  their  duty  day  by  day 
that  they  are  able,  to  guide  themselves.  To  get  this  revela- 
tfon  it  is  necessary  that  the  people  live  so  that  their  spirits 
are  as  pure  and  clean  as  a  piece  of  blank  paper  that  lies  on 
the  desk  before  the  inditer,  ready  to  receive  any  mark  the 
writer  may  make  upon  it.  11 .240. 

Yes,  my  brethren  and  sisters  here,  both  men  and  women, 
have  revelation,  and  I  can  say  with  Moses  of  old— "Would 
God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  prophets  "  1 :242. 

Angels— There  is  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  getting 
the  word  of  the  Lord ;  but  if  you  will  read  and  cultivate  the 
Spirit  of  God,  you  will  understand  how  it  is  obtained.  The 
Lord  is  not  everywhere  in  person;  but  he  has  his  agents 
speaking  and  acting  for  him.  His  angels,  his  messengers, 
his  apostles  and  servants  are  appointed  and  authorized  to 


64  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

act  in  his  name.  And  his  servants  are  authorized  to  coun- 
sel and  dictate  m  the  greatest  and  what  might  be  deemed 
the  most  trifling  matters,  to  instruct,  direct  and  guide  his 
Saints.  12:245. 

The  Lord  is  here  with  us,  not  m  person,  but  his  angels 
are  around  us,  and  he  takes  cognizance  of  every  act  of  the 
children  of  men,  as  individuals  and  as  nations  He  is  here 
ready  by  his  agents,  the  angels,  and  by  the  power  of  his 
Holy  Spirit  and  Priesthood,  which  he  has  restored  in  these 
last  days,  to  bring  most  perfect  and  absolute  deliverance 
unto  all  who  put  their  trust  in  him,  when  they  are  ready 
to  receive  it.  11.14 

When  an  angel  is  appointed  to  perform  a  duty,  to  go  to 
the  earth,  to  preach  the  Gospel,  or  to  do  anything  for  the 
advancement  of  his  Father's  kingdom, in  any  part  of  the 
great  domain  of  heaven,  the  vision  of  that  angel  is  opened 
to  see  and  understand  the  magnitude  of  the  woik  that  is 
expected  of  him  to  perform,  and  the  grand  results  which  will 
grow  out  of  it.  That  is  the  reason  why  the  angels  are  of 
one  heart  and  of  one  mind,  in  their  faithfulness  and  obech- 
ence  to  the  requirements  of  their  Father  and  God  They 
can  desire  and  ask  for  nothing  that  will  make  them  happy, 
good  and  great  that  is  withheld  from  them;  and  life  eternal 
is  theirs  Why,  then,  should  they  not  be  of  one  heart  and 
of  one  mind'1  They  see  alike,  understand  alike,  and  know 
alike,  and  all  things  are  before  them,  and,  as  far  as  their 
knowledge  and  experience  extend,  they  see  the  propriety  of 
all  the  works  of  God,  and  the  harmony  and  beauty  thereof. 
11:15. 

What  is  the  difference  between  Saints  of  God  and  an 
angel  of  God?  One  is  clothed  upon  with  mortality,  the 
other  has  passed  through  mortality  and  has  received  the 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  65 

celestial  glory  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  and  is  free  from  the 
contaminating  influences  of  sin  that  we  have  to  contend 
with.  19:66. 

There  is  much  in  my  presence  besides  those  who  sit 
here,  if  we  had  eyes  to  see  the  heavenly  beings  that  are  in 
our  presence.  8:207. 

When  the  Lord  commands  those  invisible  beings,  shall 
I  say,  those  who  have  had  their  resurrection? — yes,  mil- 
lions and  millions  more  than  the  inhabitants  of  this  earth, 
they  can  fight  your  battles.  2 .255. 

Prayer— Let  all  persons  be  fervent  in  prayer,  until  they 
know  the  things  of  God  for  themselves  and  become  certain 
that  they  are  walking  in  the  path  that  leads  to  everlasting 
life ;  then  will  envy,  the  child  of  ignorance,  vanish  and  there 
will  be  no  disposition  in  any  man  to  place  himself  above 
another;  for  such  a  feeling  meets  no  countenance  in  the 
order  of  heaven.  Jesus  Christ  never  wanted  to  be  different 
from  his  Father.  They  were  and  are  one.  If  a  people  are 
led  by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  they  are  cog- 
nizant of  the  fact  through  their  faithfulness,  there  is  no 
fear  but  they  will  be  one  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  see  eye  to. 
eye.  9:150. 

If  we  draw  near  to  him,  he  will  draw  near  to  us ;  if  we 
seek  him  early,  we  shall  find  him;  if  we  apply  our  minds 
faithfully  and  diligently  day  by  day,  to  know  and  under- 
stand the  mind  and  will  of  God,  it  is  as  easy  as,  yes,  I  will 
say  easier  than,  it  is  to  know  the  minds  of  each  other,  for  to 
know  and  understand  ourselves  and  our  own  being  is  to 
know  and  understand  God  and  his  being.  13 :312. 

Practice  your  religion  today,  and  say  your  prayers  faithfully. 
16:28. 

The  duty  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  is  to  pray  without 


66  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

ceasing,  and  in  everything-  to  give  thanks,  to  acknowledge 
the  hand  of  the  Loid  in  all  things,  and  to  be  subject  to  his 
requirements  15 .63. 

Let  every  man  and  every  woman  call  upon  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  and  that,  too,  from  a  pure  heait,  while  they  are 
at  work  as  well  as  in  their  closet ,  while  they  are  m  public 
as  well  as  while  they  are  in  private,  asking  the  Father  m 
the  name  of  Jesus,  to  bless  them,  and  to  preserve  and  guide 
in,  and  to  teach  them,  the  way  of  life  and  salvation  and  to 
enable  them  so  to  live  that  they  will  obtain  this  eternal 
salvation  that  we  are  after  15  '63  ' 

The  Loid  says,  I  will  be  sought  unto  by  my  people  for 
the  blessings  that  they  need.  And  instead  of  our  classing 
prayer  among  the  duties  devolving  upon  us  as  Latter-day 
Saints,  we  should  live  so  as  to  deem  it  one  of  the  greatest 
privileges  accorded  to  us,  for  were  it  not  for  the  efficacy 
of  prayer  what  would  have  become  of  us  both  as  a  people 
and  as  individuals  ?  19  222. 

You  know  that  it  is  one  peculiarity  of  our  faith  and  re- 
ligion never  to  ask  the  Lord  to  do  a  thing  without  being 
willing  to  help  him  all  that  we  are  able ,  and  then  the  Lord 
will  do  the  rest.  5.293 

I  shall  not  ask  the  Lord  to  do  what  I  am  not  willing 
to  do  8  143 

Do  not  ask  God  to  give  you  knowledge,  when  you  are 
confident  that  you  will  not  keep  and  rightly  improve  -upon 
that  knowledge.  3:338 

I  pray  both  for  my  friends  and  foi  my  enemies,  that,  if 
they  will  not  repent,  the  earth  may  be  speedily  emptied 
of  the  ungodly.  4 .346 

If  I  ask  him  to  give  me  wisdom  concerning  any  require- 
ment in  life,  or  m  regard  to  my  own  course,  or  that  of  my 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  67 

friends,  my  family,  my  children,  or  those  that  I  preside 
over,  and  get  no  answer  from  him,  and  then  do  the  very 
best  that  my  judgment  will  teach  me,  he  is  bound  to  own 
and  honor  that  transaction,  and  he  will  do  so  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  3  205. 

When  you  approach  the  throne  of  grace  and  petition  the 
Father,  in  the  name  of  the  Savior  who  has  redeemed  the 
world,  do  you  use  the  name  as  the  name  of  a  stranger  ?  If 
you  understand  your  own  religion,  you  petition  that  Per- 
sonage as  you  would  one  of  your  brethren  in  the  flesh.  Is 
this  strange  to  you?  It  should  bring  near  to  you  things 
that  pertain  to  eternity,  give  your  reflections  and  views  a 
more  exalted  cast,  stamp  your  daily  actions  with  truth  and 
honesty,  and  cause  you  to  be  filled  with  the  Spirit  and 
power  of  God.  7 .274-5 

Your  prayers  cannot  prevail  if  there  is  disunion  among 
you  5  331 

I  do  not  know  any  other  way  for  the  Latter-day  Saints 
than  for  every  breath  to  be  virtually  a  prayer  for  God  to 
guide  and  direct  his  people,  and  that  he  will  never  suffer 
us  to  possess  anything  that  will  be  an  injury  to  us  I  am 
satisfied  that  this  should  be  the  feeling  of  every  Latter-day 
Saint  in  the  world  If  you  aie  making  a  bargain,  if  you 
are  talking  in  the  house,  visiting  in  the  social  party,  going 
forth  in  the  dance,  every  breath  should  virtually  be  a  prayer 
that  God  will  preserve  us  from  sin  and  from  the  effects  of 
sin.  10313. 

Let  us  be  humble,  fervent,  submissive,  yielding  ourselves 
to  the  will  of  the  Lord,  and  there  is  no  danger  but  that  we 
shall  have  his  Spirit  to  guide  us  If  we  will  open  our  lips 
and  call  upon"  our  Heavenly  father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
we  will  have  the  spirit  of  prayer,  I  have  proved  this  to  be 


68  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  best  way  If  we  do  everything  in  the  season  thereof, 
attending  to  our  prayers  and  daily  labors  in  their  proper 
order  and  at  the  right  time,  all  will  go  well.  13:155. 

When  you  get  up  in  the  morning,  before  you  suffer  your- 
selves to  eat  one  mouthful  of  food,  call  your  wife  and  chil- 
dren together,  bo/w  down  before  the  Lord,  ask  him  to  for- 
give your  sins,  and  protect  you  through  the  day,  to  preserve 
you  from  temptation  and  all  evil,  to  guide  your  steps  aright, 
that  you  may  do  something  that  day  that  shall  be  beneficial 
to  tne  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth  Have  you  time  to  do 
this?  Elders,  sisters,  have  you  time  to  pray?  15  :36. 

Say  your  prayers  always  before  going  to  work.  Never 
forget  that  A  father— the  head  of  the  family—should 
never  miss  calling  his  family  together  and  dedicating  him- 
self and  them  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  asking  the  guidance 
and  direction  of  his  Holy  Spirit  to  lead  them  through  the 
day— that  very  day.  Lead  us  this  day,  guide  us  this  day, 
preserve  us  this  day,  save  us  from  sinning  against  thee  or 
any  being  in  heaven  or  on  earth  this  day !  If  we  do  this 
every  day,  the  last  day  we  live  we  will  be  prepared  to  en- 
joy a  higher  glory.  12 .261. 

We  may  say  that  our  work  drives  us  and  that  we  have 
not  time  to  pray,  hardly  time  to  eat  our  breakfasts.  Then 
let  the  breakfasts  go,  and  pray ,  get  down  upon  our  knees 
and  pray  until  we  are  filled  with  the  spirit  of  peace  10  174 

It  matters  not  whether  you  or  I  feel  like  praying,  when 
the  time  comes  to  pray,  pray.  If  we  do  not  feel  like  it,  we 
should  pray  till  we  do.  And  if  there  is  a  heavy  storm  com- 
ing on  'and  our  hay  is  likely  to  be  wet,  let  it  come.  You 
will  find  that  those  who  wait  till  the  Spirit  bids  them  pray, 
will  never  pray  much  on  this  earth  Such  people  would  come 
to  meeting  and  look  at  each  other  and  then  when  they  had 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  69 

stayed  as  long  as  they  felt  inclined,  address  their  brethren 
with— "Goodbye,  I  am  going  home,"  and  then  leave.  But 
when  the  time  comes  to  have  prayers,  let  them  be  made,  and 
there  will  be  no  danger.  13 .155. 

There  are  times  and  places  when  all  should  vocally  re- 
peat the  words  spoken,  but  in  our  prayer*  meetings  and  in 
our  family  circles  let  every  heart  be  united  with  the  one 
who  takes  the  lead  by  being  mouth  before  the  Lord,  and 
let  every  person  mentally  repeat  the  prayers,  and  all  unite 
in  whatever  is  asked  for,  and  the  Lord  will  not  withhold, 
but  will  give  to  such  persons  the  things  which  they  ask  for 
and  rightly  need  3*53 

Some  of  the  brethren  come  to  me  and  say,  "Brother 
Bngham,  is  it  my  duty  to  pray  when  I  have  not  one  par- 
ticle of  the  spirit  of  prayer  in  me?"  True,  at  times,  men 
are  perplexed  and  full  ,of  care  and  trouble,  their  ploughs 
and  other  implements  are  out  of  order,  their  animals  have 
strayed  and  a  thousand  things  perplex  them ;  yet  our  judg- 
ment teaches  us  that  it  is  our  duty  to  pray,  whether  we  are 
particularly  in  the  spirit  of  praying  or  not.  My  doctrine  is, 
it  is  your  duty  to  pray ;  and  when  the  time  for  prayer. comes, 
John  should  say,  "This  is  the  place  and  this  is  the, time  to 
pray;  knees  bend  down  upon  the  floor,  and  do  so  at  once." 
But  John  said,  "I  do  not  want  to  pray,  I  do  not  feel  like 
it w  Knees  get  down,  I  say ;  and  down  bend  the  knees,  and 
he  begins  to  think  and  reflect.  Can  you  say  anything?  Can 
you  not  say,  God  have  mercy  on  me  a  sinner?  Yes,  he  can 
do  this,  if  he  can  rise  up  and  curse  his  neighbor  for  some 
ill  deeds  Now,  John,  open  your  mouth  and  say,  Lord,. have 
mercy  upon  me.  "But  I  do  not  feel  the  spirit  of  prayer " 
That  does  not  excuse  you,  for  you  know  what  your  duty  is. 
You  have  a  passion,  a  will,  a  temper  to  overcome.  You 


70  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

are  subject  to  temptation  as  other  men;  and  when  you  are 
tempted,  let  the  judgment  which  God  has  placed  within 
you  and  the  intelligence  he  has  given  you  by  the  light  of 
the  Spirit  be  the  master  in  this  case 

If  I  could  not  master  my  mouth,  I  would  my  knees,  and 
make  them  bend  until  my  mouth  would  speak.  "But  the 
cattle  are  in  the  corn"  Let  them  eat;  you  can  attend  to 
them  when  you  have  finished  piaying,  Let  the  will  of  man 
be.biought  into  subjection  to  the  law  of  Christ— to  all  the 
ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  What,  in  his  darkness  and 
depression  ?  Yes ,  for  that  is  the  time  to  prove  whether  one 
is  a  friend  of  God,  that  the  confidence  of  the  Almighty  may 
increase  in  his  Son.  We  should  so  live  that  our  confidence 
and  faith  may  increase  in  him  We  must  even  go  further 
than  that.  Let  us  so  live  that  the  faith  and  confidence  of 
our  Heavenly  Father  may  increase  towards  us,  until  he  shall 
know  that  we  will  be  true  to  him  under  any  and  all  ciicum- 
stances  and  at  all  times.  When  in  our  darkness  and  tempta- 
tion we  are  found  faithful  to  our  duty,  that  increases  the 
confidence  of  our  God  in  us  He  sees  that  we  will  be  his 
servants.  7:164. 

If  the  Devil  says  you  cannot  pray  when  you  are  angry, 
tell  him  it  is  none  of  his  business,  and  pray  until  that  species 
of  insanity  is  dispelled  and  serenity  is  restored  to  the  mind 
10175 

Let  every  Saint,  when  he  prays,  ask  God  for  the  things 
he  needs  to  enable  him  to  promote  righteousness  on  the 
earth  If  you  do  not  know  what  to  ask  for,  let  me  tell  you 
how  to  pray  When  you  pray  in  secret  with  your  families, 
if  you  do  not  know  anything  to  ask  for,  submit  yourselves 
to  your  Father  in  Heaven  and  beseech  him  to  guide  you  by 
the  inspirations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  guide  this  people, 


COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  GOD  AND  MAN  71 

and  dictate  the  affairs  of  his  Kingdom  on  the  earth,  and 
there  leave  it.  Ask  him  to  put  you  just  where  he  wants 
you,  and  to  tell  you  what  he  wants  you  to  do,  and  feel  that 
you  are  on  hand  to  do  it.  6  *43. 

When  you  have  labored  faithfully  for  years,  you  will 
learn  this  simple  fact— that  if  your  hearts  are  aright,  and 
you  still  continue  to  be  obedient,  continue  to  serve  God, 
continue  to  pray,  the  Spirit  of  revelation  will  be  in  you  like 
a  well  of  water  springing  up  to  everlasting  life.  Let  no 
person  give  up  prayer  because  he  has  not  the  spirit  of 
prayer,  neither  let  any  earthly  circumstance  hurry  you 
while  in  the  performance  of  this  important  duty  By  bow- 
ing down  before  the  Lord  to  ask  him  to  bless  you,  you  will 
simply  find  this  result — God  will  multiply  blessings  on  you 
temporally  and  spiritually  Let  a  merchant,  a.  fanner,  a 
mechanic,  any  person  in  business,  live  his  religion  faithfully, 
and  he  need  never  lose  one  minute's  sleep  by  thinking  about 
his  business;  he  need  not  worry  in  the  least,  but  trust  in 
God,  go  to  sleep  and  rest  I  say  to  this  people — pray,  and 
if  you  cannot  do  anything  else,  read  a  prayer  aloud  that 
your  family  may  hear  it,  until  you  get  a  worshiping  spirit, 
and  are  full  of  the  riches  of  eternity,  then  you  will  be 
prepared  at  any  time  to  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  or  to  officiate 
in  any  of  the  ordinances  of  this  religion.  12 :103. 

If  I  did  not  feel  like  praying,  and  asking  my  Father  in 
Heaven  to  give  me  a  morning  blessing,  and  to  preserve  me 
and  my  family  and  the  good  upon  the  earth  through  the 
day,  I  should  say,  "Bngham,  get  down  here  on  your  knees, 
bow  your  body  down  before  the  throne  of  him  who  rules 
in  the  heavens,  and  stay  there  until  you  can  feel  to  suppli- 
cate at  that  throne  of  grace  erected  for  sinners  "  16 :28 


CHAPTER  IV 
PRE-EXISTENCE;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION 

Time — When  was  there  a  beginning-?  There  never  was 
one ;  if  there  was,  there  will  be  an  end ;  but  there  never  was 
a  beginning,  and  hence  there  will  never  be  an  end;  that 
looks  like  eternity.  When  we  talk  about  the  beginning  of 
eternity,  it  is  rather  simple  conversation,  and  goes  far  be- 
yond the  capacity  of  man.  2  307. 

Here  is  time,  where  is  eternity?  It  is  here,  just  as  much 
as  anywhere  in  all  the  expanse  of  space ;  a  measured  space 
of  time  is  only  a  part  of  eternity.  3 :367. 

Every  mind  that  thinks  deeply  upon  the  things  of  time 
and  eternity,  sees  that  time,  which  we  measure  by  our  lives, 
is  like  the  stream  from  the  mountains  which  gushes  forth, 
yet  we  cannot  tell  from  whence  it  comes,  nor  do  we  know 
naturally  where  it  goeth,  only  it  passes  again  into  the 
clouds;  so  our  lives  are  here,  and  this  we  are  certain  of. 
We  do  know  that  we  live  and  that  we  have  the  power  of 
sight  We  do  know  and  can  realize  that  we  possess  the 
faculty  of  hearing.  We  can  discern  between  that  which  we 
like  and  that  which  we  dislike  This  life  that  you  and  I 
possess  is  for  eternity.  Contemplate  the  idea  of  beings  en- 
dowed with  all  the  powers  and  faculties  which  we  possess, 
becoming  annihilated,  passing  out  of  existence,  ceasing  to 
be,  and  then  try  to  reconcile  it  with  our  feelings  and  with 
our  present  lives.  No  intelligent  person  can  do  it.  Yet 
it  is  only  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  that  we  can  understand 
these  things.  By  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  Jesus  we  un- 
derstand things  as  they  were,  that  have  been  made  known 
unto  us ;  things  that  are  in  the  life  which  we  now  enjoy,  and 


FEE-EXISTENCE ,  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  '  73 

things  as  they  will  be,  not  to  the  fullest  extent,  but  all  that 
the  Lord  designs  that  we  should  understand,  to  make  it 
profitable  to  us,  in  order  to  give  us  the  experience  necessary 
in  this  life  to  prepare  us  to  enjoy  eternal  life  hereafter 
12-111-112. 

The  present  is  that  portion  of  time  that  more  particularly 
concerns  us,  and  the  greatest  and  most  important  labor  we 
have  to  perform  is  to  cultivate  ourselves,  That  man  may 
know  his  fellow  creatures,  it  is  necessary  that  he  should 
first  know  himself  When  he  thoroughly  knows  himself, 
he  measurably  knows  God,  whom  to  know  is  eternal  life. 
10:2. 

As  far  as  we  can  compare  eternal  things  with  earthly 
things  that  he  within  the  scope  of  ouf  understanding,  so 
far  we  can  understand  them.  10:1. 

As  to  the  word  annihilate,  as  we  understand  it,  there  is 
no  such  principle  as  to  put  a  thing  which  exists,  entirely 
out  of  existence,  so  that  it  does  not  exist  in  any  form,  shape, 
or  place  whatever.  It  would  be  as  reasonable  to  say  that 
endless,  which  is  synonymous  to  the  word  eternity,  has 
both  a  beginning  and  an  end.  1 .352. 

The  Organized  Universe — The  creations  of  God — the 
worlds  that  are  and  the  worlds  that  have  been, — who  can 
grasp  in  the  vision  of  his  mind  the  truth  that  there  never 
has  been  a  time  when  there  have  not  been  worlds  like  this, 
and  that  there  never  will  be  a  time  when  there  will  not  be 
worlds  organized  and  prepared  for  intelligent  beings  to 
dwell  upon?  8:81. 

There  is  an  eternity  of  matter.  Astronomers  estimate 
that  there  is  between  us  and  the  nearest  fixed  star  matter 
enough  from  which  to  organize  millions  of  earths  like  this. 
There  is  an  eternity  of  matter,  and  it  is  all  acted  upon  and 


74  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

filled  with  a  portion  of  divinity  Matter  is  to  exist ;  it  can- 
not be  annihilated  Eternity  is  without  bounds,  and  is  filled 
with  matter,  and  there  is  no  such  place  as  empty  space 
And  matter  is  capacitated  to  receive  intelligence.  7  2 

Worlds  are  made  of  crude  element  which  floats,  with- 
out bounds  in  the  eternities— in  the  immensity  of  space ,  an 
eternity  of  matter— no  limits  to  it,  in  its  natural  crude  state, 
and  the  power  of  the  Almighty  has  this  influence  and  wis* 
dom — when  he  speaks  he  is  obeyed,  and  matter  comes 
together  and  is  organized  13  248 

According  to  all  that  the  world  has  ever  leained  by  the 
researches  of  philosophers  and  wise  men,  according  to  all 
the  truths  now  revealed  by  science,  philosophy  and  relig- 
ion, qualities  and  attributes  depend  entirely  upon  their  con- 
nection with  organized  matter  for  their  development  and 
visible  manifestation  1 1  '121 

Man  and  Matter  Eternal— Mankind  are  organized  of 
element  designed  to  endure  to  all  eternity;  it  never  had  a 
beginning  and  never  can  have  an  end.  There  never  was 
a  time  when  this  matter,  of  which  you  and  I  are  composed, 
was  not  in  existence,  and  there  never  can  be  a  time  when 
it  will  pass  out  of  existence ,  it  cannot  be  annihilated. 

It  is  brought  together,  organized,  and  capacitated  to 
receive  knowledge  and  intelligence,  to  be  enthroned  in 
glory,  to  be  made  angels,  Gods — beings  who  will  hold  con- 
trol over  the  elements,  and  have  power  by  their  word  to 
command  the  creation  a*id  redemption  of  worlds,  or  to 
extinguish  suns  by  their  breath,  and  disorganize  worlds, 
hurling  them  back  into  their  chaotic  state.  This  is  what 
you  and  I  are  created  for.  3  356, 


PRE-EXISTENCE ;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  75 

The  elements  with  which  we  aie  surrounded  are  as  eter- 
nal as  we  are,  and  are  loaded  with  supplies  of  every  kind 
for  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  the  human  race.  10 '3. 

Earthly  things  will  be  decomposed  and  their  reorgan- 
ization will  be  by  the  power  of  the  resurrection ;  then  we 
shall  begin  to  understand  the  proper  use  of  element  7.65 

"Immaterial  substance  "  It  is  like  the  center  of  a  being 
everywhere  and  his  circumference  nowhere,  or  like  being 
seated  on  the  top  of  a  topless  throne.  These  are  self-con- 
founding expressions,  and  there  is  no  meaning  to  any  of 
them.  16.31.  * 

If  we  could  so  understand  true  philosophy  as  to  under- 
stand our  own  creation,  and  what  it  is  for— what  design 
and  intent  the  Supreme  Ruler  had  in  organizing  matter  and 
bringing  it  forth  in  the  capacity  that  I  behold  you  here 
today,  we  could  comprehend  that  matter  cannot  be  de- 
stroyed— that  it  is  subject  to  organization  and  disorgan- 
ization; and  could  understand  that  matter  can  be  organ- 
ized and  brought  forth  into  intelligence,  and  to  possess 
more  intelligence  and  to  continue  to  increase  in  that  intelli- 
gence; and  could  learn  those  principles  that  organized  mat- 
ter into  animals,  vegetables,  and  into  intelligent  beings ;  and 
could  discern  the  Divinity  acting,  operating,  and  diffusing 
principles  into  matter  to  produce  intelligent  beings  and  to 
exalt  them— to  what?  Happiness,  Will  nothing  short  of 
that  fully  satisfy  the  spirits  implanted  within  us?  No, 
7-2-3,  - 

Gold  and  silver  are  composing,  and  so  does  every  other 
kind  of  metal,  the  same  as  the  hair  upon  my  head,  or  the 
wheat  in  the  field ;  they  do  not  compose  as  fast,  but  they 
are  all  the  time  composing  or  decomposing  1 ,219. 

There  never  was  a  time  when  man  did  not  exist,  and 


76  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

there  never  will  be  a  time  when  he  will  cease  to  exist 
Eternity  is  without  confines,  and  all  things  animate  and  in- 
animate have  their  existence  m  it  The  Priesthood  of  God, 
that  was  given  to  the  ancients  and  is  given  to  men  in  the 
latter  days,  is  co-equal  in  duration  with  eternity— is  with- 
out beginning  of  days  or  end  of  life  It  is  unchangeable  in 
its  system  of  government  and  its  Gospel  of  salvation.  It 
gives  to  Gods  and  angels  their  supremacy  and  power,  and 
offers  wealth,  influence,  posterity,  exaltations,  power, 
glory,  kingdoms  and  thrones,  ceaseless  m  their  duration,  to 
all  who  will  accept  them  on  the  terms  upon  which  they  aie 
offered  10'5 

The  life  that  is  within  us  is  a  part  of  an  eternity  of  life, 
and  is  organized  spint,  which  is  clothed  upon  by  taber- 
nacles, thereby  constituting  our  present  being,  which  is 
designed  for  the  attainment  of  further  intelligence.  The 
matter  composing  our  bodies  and  spirits  has  been  organized 
from  the  eternity  of  matter  that  fills  immensity.  7 -285. 

Man  is  organized  and  brought  forth  as  the  king  of  the 
earth,  to  understand,  to  criticise,  examine,  improve,  manu- 
facture, arrange,  and  organize  the  crude  matter,  and  honor 
and  glorify  the  works  of  God's  hands.  This  is  a  wide  field 
for  the  operation  of  man,  that  reaches  into  eternity ;  and  it 
is  good  for  mortals  to  search  out  the  things  of  this  earth. 
9:242. 

Man  the  Offspring  of  God— No  human  being  has  had 
power  to  organize  his  own  existence.  Then  there  is  a 
greater  than  we.  Are  we  our  own  in  our  bodies ?  Are  we 
our  own  in  our  spirits'1  W'e  are  not  our  own,  We  belong 
to  our  progenitors — to  our  Father  and  our  God.  8  67 

Things  were  first  created  spiritually;  the  Father  actu- 
ally begat  the  spirits,  and  they  were  brought  forth  and 


PRE-EXISTENCE ;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  77 

lived  with  him  Then  he  commenced  the  work  of  creat* 
ing  earthly  tabernacles,  precisely  as  he  had  been  created  in 
this  flesh  himself,  by  partaking  of  the  coarse  material  that 
was  organized  and  composed  this  earth,  until  his  system 
was  charged  with  it,  consequently  the  tabernacles  of  his 
children  were  organized  from  the  coarse  materials  of  this 
earth. 

When  the  time  came  that  his  First-born,  the  Savior, 
should  come  into  the  world  and  take  a  tabernacle,  the 
Father  came  himself  and  favored  that  Spirit  with  a  taber- 
nacle instead  of  letting  any  other  man  do  it  The  Savior 
was  begotten  by  the  Father  and  his  Spirit,  by  the  same 
Being  who  is  the  Father  of  our  spirits,  and  that  is  all  the 
organic  difference'  between  Jesus  Christ  and  you  and  me 
And  a  difference  there  is  between  our  Father  and  us  con- 
sists in  that  he  has  gained  his  exaltation,  and  has  ob- 
tained eternal  lives.  The  principle  of  eternal  lives  is  an 
eternal  existence,  eternal  duration,  eternal  exaltation.  End- 
less are  his  kingdoms,  endless  *his  thrones  and  his  do- 
minions and  endless  are  his  posterity;  they  never  will 
cease  to  multiply  from  this  time  henceforth  and  forever. 
4218. 

I  want  to  tell  you,  each  and  every  one  of  you,  that  you 
are  well  acquainted  with  God  our  Heavenly  Father,  or  the 
great  Elohim.  You  are  all  well  acquainted  with  him,  for 
there  is  not  a  soul  of  you  but  what  has  lived  in  his  house 
and  dwelt  with  him  year  after  year,  and  yet  you  are  seek- 
ing to  become  acquainted  with  him,  when  the  fact  is,  you 
have  merely  forgotten  what  you  did  know. 

There  is  not  a  person  here  to-day  but  what  is  a  son  or 
a  daughter  of  that  Being  In  the  spirit  world  their  spirits 
were  first  begotten  and  brought  forth,  and' they  lived  there 


78  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

with  their  parents  for  ages  before  they  came  here  This, 
perhaps,  is  hard  for  many  to  believe,  but  it  is  the  greatest 
nonsense  in  the  world  not  to  believe  it  If  you  do  not 
believe  it,  cease  to  call  him  Father,  and  when  you  pi  ay, 
pray  to  some  other  character.  4  216. 

We  are  the  sons  and  daughters  of  celestial  Beings,  and 
the  germ  of  the  Deity  dwells  within  us  When  our  spirits 
took  possession  of  these  tabernacles,  they  weie  as  pure  as 
the  angels  of  God,  wherefoie  total  depiavity  cannot  be  a 
true  doctrine  10  192. 

Our  spirits  once  dwelt  in  the  heavens  and  were  as  pure 
and  holy  as  the  angels;  but  angels  have  tabernacles  and 
spirits  have  none;  and  they  come  to  the  meanest,  lowest 
and  humblest  of  the  human  race  to  obtain  one  rather  than 
run  any  risk  of  not  doing  so.  I  have  heard  that  the  cele- 
brated Mr.  Beecher,  of  Brooklyn,  once  said  that  the  great- 
est misfortune  that  could  ever  happen  to  man  was  to  be 
born;  but  I  say  that  the  greatest  good  foitime  that  ever 
happened  or  can  happen  to  human  beings  is  to  be  bom  on 
this  earth,  for  then  life  and  salvation  are  before  them ,  then 
they  have  the  privilege  of  overcoming  death,  and  of  tread- 
ing sin  and  iniquity  under  their  feet,  of  incorporating  into 
their  daily  lives  every  principle  of  life  and  salvation  and 
of  dwelling  eternally  with  the  Gods.  13  145. 

When  we  look  upon  the  human  face  we  look  upon  the 
image  of  our  Father  and  God;  there, is  a  divinity  in  each 
person,  male  and  female ,  there  is  the  heavenly,  there  is  the 
divine  and  with  this  is  amalgamated  the  human,  the  eaithly, 
the  weaker  portions  of  our  nature,  and  it  is  the  human  that 
shrinks  in  the  presence  of  the  divine,  and  this  accounts  for 
our  man-fearing  spirit,  and  it  is  all  there  is  of  it.  9 '291. 

The  origin  of  thought  was  planted  in  our  organization 


PRE-EXISTENCE ;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  79 

at  the  beginning  of  our  being.  This  is  not  telling  you  how 
it  came  there,  or  who  put  it  there.  Thought  originated 
with  our  individual  being,  which  is  organized  to  be  as  in- 
dependent as  any  being  in  eternity,  2:135. 

We  were  created  upright,  pure,  and  holy,  in  the  image 
of  our  father  and  our  mother,  the  image  of  our  God. 

Wherein  do  we  differ  ?  In  the  talents  that  are  given  us, 
and  in  our  callings.  We  are  made  of  the  same  materials; 
our  spirits  were  begotten  by  the  same  parents;  in  the  be- 
getting of  the  flesh  we  are  of  the  same  first  parents,  and  all 
the  kindreds  of  the  earth  are  made  of  one  flesh ;  but  we  are 
different  in  regard  to  our  callings.  3 .365. 

We  have  no  true  interest,  only  conjointly  with  our 
Father  in  Heaven.  We  are  his  children,  his  sons  and 
daughters,  and  this  should  not  be  a  mystery  to  this  people, 
even  though  there  are  many  who  have  been  gathered  with 
us  but  a  short  time.  He  is  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
spirits ;  he  devised  the  plan  that  produced  our  tabernacles ; 
the  houses  for  our  spirits  to  dwell  in.  4:27. 

The  Spirit  of  Man— The  spirits  that  live  in  these  taber- 
nacles were  as  pure  as  the  heavens,  when  they  entered 
them.  They  came  to  tabernacles  that  are  contaminated, 
pertaining  to  the  flesh,  by  the  fall  of  man.  The  Psalmist 
says,  "Behold,  I  was  shapen  in  iniquity,  and  in  sin  did  my 
mother  conceive  me."  This  Scripture  -has  established  in 
the  minds  of  some  the  doctrine  of  total  depravity — that  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  have  one  good  thought,  that  they 
are  altogether  sinful,  that  there  is  no  good,  no  soundness, 
and  no  spiritual  health  in  them.  This  is  not  correct,  yet 
we  have  a  warfare  within  us.  We  have  to  contend  against 
evil  passions,  or  the  seeds  of  iniquity  that  are  sown  in  the 
flesh  through  the  fall  The  pure  spirits  that  occupy  these 


80  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

tabernacles  are  operated  upon,  and  it  is  the  right  of  him 
that  sent  them  into  these  tabernacles  to  hold  the  pre-emin- 
ence, and  to  always  give  the  Spirit  of  truth  to  influence  the 
spirits  of  men,  that  it  may  triumph  and  reign  predominantly 
m  our  tabernacles,  the  God  and  Lord  of  every  motion.  We 
not  only  have  this  warfare  continually,  day  by  day,  within 
ourselves,  but  we  also  have  an  outside  influence  or  pressure 
to  resist  Both  the  religious  and  the  political  world  have 
influences  to  contend  against  that  very  much  resemble  each 
other,  they  are  more  or  less  exercised,  goveined  and  con- 
trolled by  surrounding1  influences.  We,  Latter-day  Saints, 
have  an  influence  of  this  kind  to  contend  against  10:105. 

We  see  life  spring  into  existence  all  around  us.  Where 
is  its  fountain?  And  how  is  it  originated?  It  exists  for  a 
day,  a  night,  a  year,  or  an  age,  and  it  is  gone ,  and  who  can 
say  wheie?  Who  can  tell  what  has  become  of  the  life  that 
dwelt  in  that  tabernacle,  causing  it  to  think,— that  lit  up 
the  eye  with  living  fire,  and  caused  the  mouth  to  utter  forth 
wisdom ?  Can  mortal  man  tell?  Not  unless  he  is  inspired 
by  the  Almighty,  and  understands  eternal  things  The 
origin  of  all  things  is  in  eternity.  Like  a  cloud  passing 
across  a  clear  sky — like  a  bird  that  suddenly  flits  across  our 
path— like  a  pure  gushing  stream  from  a  hidden  fountain, 
that  soon  sinks  in  some  mountain  chasm,  so,  apparently,  life 
flashes  into  this  mortal  existence,  and  passes  away.  7.173 

Intelligence  is  given  unto  us  to  improve  upon    8  "81. 

The  origin  of  thought  and  reflection  is  in  ourselves.  We 
think,  because  we  are,  and  are  made  susceptible  of  external 
influences,  and  to  feel  our  relationship  to  external  objects, 
Thus  thoughts  of  revenge,  and  thoughts  of  blessing  will 
arise  m  the  same  mind,  as  it  is  influenced  by  external  cir- 
cumstances. 2:135 


PRE-EXISTENCE;  THE  PLAN  of  SALVATION  81 

There  is  just  as  much  difference  in  the  spiritual  organ- 
ization, as  you  see  in  the  temporal  organization.  You  can 
see  that  eternal  variety  in  both.  9:125. 

I  see  a  man  grow  up  from  the  infant  stage  to  be  a 
scholar,  and  by  and  by  he  has  an  empire,  and  can  give  laws 
to  the  people,  that  can  equalize  them,  and  bring  them  to  a 
state  of  happiness  and  excellency,  and  give  them  all  the 
advantages  that  man  can  possess  upon  the  earth,  and  make 
every  man  happy  and  comfortable  This  is  the  work  that 
we  have  upon  our  hands  Teach  the  people  the  faith  of 
the  Gospel  Teach  them  what  God  Is,  and  what  his  work 
is,  and  that  there  never  was  a  time  such  as  many  of  ou'r 
philosophers  speak  of,  who  drift  back  and  back,  and  come 
to  this  theory  and  that  theory,  and  go  back,  and  back  to  the 
time  when  we  were  all  reptiles.  When  was  there  a  time 
when  there  was  not  a  God?  But,  say  they,  there  must 
have  been  a  time  Then  you  declare  to  me,  do  you,  that 
there  was  a  time  when  there  was  no  time  ?  And  this  is  the 
philosophy  of  a  great  many  of  the  scientific  in  this  day. 
They  see  the  heavens  stretched  out,  but  they  comprehend 
them  not  And  why  do  they  not  say,  if  there  was  a  time 
when  there  was  no  time,  there  will  be  a  time  again  when 
there  will  be  no  time,  What  a  condition  for  man  to  be  in  I 
Can  we  look  onward  and  upward  through  the  immensity 
of  space,  and  behold  the  worlds  on  worlds  that  we  call 
stars,  and  imagine  that  they  will  be  blotted  out  forever? 
What  an  idea!  19:49 

Everything  in  heaven,  on  earth,  and  in  hell  is  organized 
for  the  benefit,  advantage  and  exaltation  of  intelligent  be- 
ings ;  therefore  there  is  nothing  that  is  out  of  the  pale  of 
our  faith.  There  is  nothing,  I  may  say,  good  or  bad,  light 
or  darkness,  truth  or  error,  but  what  is  to  be  controlled 


82  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

by  intelligent  beings ,  and  we  should  learn  how  to  take  into 
our  possession  every  blessing  and  every  privilege  that  God 
has  put  within  otfr  reach,  and  know  how  to  use  our  time, 
our  talents,  and  all  our  acts  for  the  advancement  of  his 
Kingdom  upon  the  earth  6  145 

We  are  all  his  children.  We  are  his  sons  and  daughters 
naturally,  and  by  the  principles  of  eternal  life  We  are 
brethren  and  sisters.  What  is  it  that  makes  the  dis- 
tinctions we  see  in  the  classes  of  the  children  of  men? 
We  see  the  low  and  the  degraded,  like  the  aborigines  of  our 
country,  what  is  the  cause  of  their  being  in  their  present 
condition?  It  is  because  of  the  rejection  by  their  fathers 
of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  The  Gospel  brings  in- 
telligence, happiness,  and  glory  to  all  who  obey  it  and  live 
according  to  its  precepts.  It  will  give  them  intelligence 
that  comes  from  God.  Their  minds  will  be  open  so  as  to 
understand  things  as  they  are;  they  will  rejoice  in  being 
blessed  themselves  and  m  blessing  their  fellow  beings,  and 
in  being  prepared  to  re-enter  the  presence  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son.  This  will  be  their  delight.  13 .178. 

The  Council  in  Heaven — The  Council  in  heaven  said, 
"Let  there  be  an  earth,  and  let  there  be  a  firmament  above 
and  beneath  it/'  and  it  was  so.  They  said,  "Let  there  be 
heat  and  cold,"  and  it  was  so.  They  said,  "Let  there  be 
spring  and  summer,  autumn  and  winter,"  and  it  was  so. 
9  254. 

"Who  will  redeem  the  earth,  who  will  go  forth  and  make 
the  sacrifice  for  the  earth  and  all  things  it  contains?"  The 
Eldest  Son  said  "Here  am  I ,"  and  then  he  added,  "Send 
me  "  But  the  second  one,  which  was  "Lucifer,  Son  of  the 
Morning,"  said,  "Lord,  here  am  I,  send  me,  I  will  redeem 
every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam  and  Eve  that  lives  on  the 


PRE-EXISTENCE  I  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  83 

earth,  or  that  ever  goes  on  the  earth."  "But,"  says  the 
Father,  "that  will  not  answer  at  all.  I  give  each  and  every 
individual  his  agency;  all  must  use  that  in  order  to  gain 
exaltation  in  my  kingdom;  inasmuch  as  they  have  the 
power  of  choice  they  must  exercise  that  power,  They  are 
my  children ;  the  attributes  which  you  see  in  me  are  in  my 
children  and  they  must  use  their  agency.  If  you  undertake 
to  save  all,  you  must  save  them  in  unrighteousness  and  cor- 
ruption, You  will  be  the  man  that  will  say  to  the  thief  on 
the  cross,  to  the  murderer  on  the  gallows,  and  to  him  who 
has  killed  his  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  sisters  and  little 
ones,  'Now,  if  you  will  say,  I  repent  and  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  or  on  the  Savior  of  the  world,  you  shall  be 
saved/  "  This  is  what  all  the  religious  sects  of  the  day  are 
saying  now,  but  Jesus  did  not  say  any  such  thing.  13 :282. 

When  there  was  rebellion  in  heaven,  judgment  was  laid 
to  the  line  and  righteousness  to  the  plummet,  and  the  evil 
were  cast  out.  Yet  there  was  a  portion  of  grace  allotted  to 
those  rebellious  characters. 

But  they  must  go  from  heaven,  they  could  not  dwell 
there,  they  must  be  cast  down  to  the  earth  to  try  the  sons 
of  men,  and  to  perform  their  labor  in  producing  an  oppo- 
site in  all  things,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  might 
have  the  privilege  of  improving  upon  the  intelligence  given 
to  them,  the  opportunity  for  overcoming  evil,  and  for 
learning  the  principles  which  govern  eternity,  that  they  may 
be  exalted  therein.  3  '256. 

The  Lord  Almighty  suffered  this  schism  in  heaven  to 
see  what  his  subjects  would  do  preparatory  to  their  coming 
to  this  earth.  14:93. 

In  regard  to  the  battle  in  "heaven,  that  Brother  Truman 
O.  Angell  referred  to,  how  much  of  a  battle  it  was  I  have 


84  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

forgotten  I  cannot  relate  the  principal  circumstances,  it  is 
so  long  since  it  happened;  but  I  do  not  think  it  lasted  very 
long,  for  when  Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morning,  claimed  the 
privilege  of  having  the  control  of  this  earth,  and  redeem- 
ing it,  a  contention  arose,  but  I  do  not  think  it  took  long 
to  cast  down  one-third  of  the  hosts  of  heaven,  as  it  is  writ- 
ten in  the  Bible.  But  let  me  tell  you  that  it  was  one-third 
part  of  the  spirits  who  were  prepared  to  take  tabernacles 
upon  this  earth,  and  who  rebelled  against  the  other  two- 
thirds  of  the  heavenly  host;  and  they  were  cast  down  to 
this  world.  It  is  written  that  they  were  cast  down  to  the 
earth.  They  weie  cast  down  to  this  globe— to  this  terra 
firma  that  you  and  I  walk  upon,  and  whose  atmosphere  we 
breathe  One-third  part  of  the  spirits  that  weie  prepared 
for  this  earth  rebelled  against  Jesus  Christ,  and  were  cast 
down  to  the  earth,  and  they  have  been  opposed  to  him  from 
that  day  to  this,  with  Lucifer  at  their  head.  He  is  their 
general— Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morning  He  was  once 
a  brilliant  and  influential  character  in  heaven,  and  we  will 
know  more  about  him  hereafter.  5 .54-55. 

From  the  spirit  and  tenor  of  the  ancient  Scriptures  and 
revelations  which  we  have  received,  it  is  plainly  set  forth 
that  there  are  men  preappointed  to  perform  certain  works 
in  their  lifetime,  and  bring  to  pass  certain  ends  and  pur- 
poses in  the  economy  of  heaven.  1 1 .253. 

Do  you  not  think  that  the  Lord  has  his  eye  upon  a  great 
many?  There  is  a  passage  of  Scripture  that  reads  thus- 
"For  whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also  did  predestinate  to  be 
conformed  to  the  image  of  his  Son,  that  he  might  be  the 
firstborn  among  many  brethren,"  etc.  Whom  did  he  not 
foreknow?  I  do  not  think  there  is  anybody  now  on  the 
earth,  that  has  lived  before-  us,  or  that  will  come  after  us, 


PRE-EXISTENCE ,  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  85 

but  what  he  knew.  He  knew  who  would  be  his  anointed  ; 
he  had  his  eye  upon  them  all  the  time,  as  he  had  upon 
Moses,  Pharaoh,  Abraham,  Melchizedek,  and  Noah,  who 
was  a  chosen  vessel  to  build  the  ark  and  save  a  remnant 
from  the  flood.  8  229, 

It  is  a  mistaken  idea  that  God  has  decreed  all  tilings 
whatsoever  that  come  to  pass,  for  the  volition  of  the  crea- 
ture is  as  free  as  air,  You  may  inquire  whether  we  believe 
m  foreordination ,  we  do,  as  strongly  as  any  people  in  the 
world.  We  believe  that  Jesus  was  foreordained  before  the 
foundations  of  the  world  were  built,  and  his  mission  was 
appointed  him  in  eternity  to  be  the  Savior  of  the  world,  yet 
when  he  came  m  the  flesh  he  was  left  free  to  choose  or  re- 
fuse to  obey  his  Father.  Had  he  refused  to  obey  his 
Father,  he  would  have  become  a  son  of  perdition.  We  also 
are  free  to  choose  or  refuse  the  principles  of  eternal  life 
God  has  decreed  and  foreordained  many  things  that  have 
come  to  pass,  and  he  will  continue  to  do  so ,  but  when  he 
decrees  great  blessings  upon  a  nation  or  upon  an  individual 
they  are  decreed  upon  certain  conditions.  When  he  de- 
crees great  plagues  and  overwhelming  destructions  upon 
nations  or  people,  those  decrees  come  to  pass  because  those 
nations  and  people  will  not  forsake  their  wickedness  and 
turn  unto  the  Lord.  It  was  decreed  that  Nmeveh  should 
be  destroyed  in  forty  days,  but  the  decree  was  stayed  on  the 
repentance  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nineveh.  God  rules  and 
reigns,  and  has  made  all  his  children  as  free  as  himself,  to 
choose  the  right  or  the  wrong,  and  we  shall  then  be  judged 
according  to  our  works.  10  324. 

You  cannot  give  any  persons  their  exaltation  unless  they 
know  what  evil  is,  what  sin,  sorrow,  and  misery  are,  for  no 
person  could  comprehend,  appreciate  and  enjoy  an  exalta- 


86  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

tion  upon  any  other  principle.  The  Devil  with  one-third 
part  of  the  spirits  of  our  Father's  Kingdom  got  here 
before  us,  and  we  tarried  there  with  our  friends,  until 
the  time  came  for  us  to  come  to  the  earth  and  take 
tabernacles,  but  those  spirits  that  revolted  were  forbidden 
ever  to  have  tabernacles  of  their  own.  You  can  now  com- 
prehend how  it  is  that  they  are  always  trying  to  get  pos- 
session of  the  bodies  of  human  beings ,  you  read  of  a  man's 
being  possessed  of  a  legion,  and  Mary  Magdalene  had  seven. 
3:369.  ' 

Foreordmation,  for  instance,  and  free  grace  are  both 
true  doctrines,  but  they  must  be  properly  coupled  together 
and  correctly  classified,  so  as  to  produce  harmony  between 
these  two  apparently  opposite  doctrines.  6.291. 

The  Plan  of  Salvation— The  great  plan  called  the  plan 
of  salvation — the  system  of  doctrine,  ideas,  and  practices 
that  pertain  to  all  the  intelligence  that  exists  in  eternity 
832. 

Elevation,  exaltation  and  glory  are  the  objects  of  the 
Father  m  peopling  this  earth  with  his  progeny.  10:191. 

This  is  the  plan  of  salvation  Jesus  will  never  cease  his 
work  until  all  are  brought  up  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  king- 
dom in  the  mansions  of  his  Father,  where  there  are  many 
kingdoms  and  many  glories,  to  suit  the  works  and  faithful- 
ness of  all  men  that  have  lived  on  the  earth.  Some  will 
obey  the  celestial  law  and  receive  of  its  glory,  some  will 
abide  the  terrestrial  and  some  the  telestial,  and  others  will 
receive  no  glory.  13  76. 

When  you  understand  the  Gospel  plan,  you  will  com- 
prehend that  it  is  the  most  reasonable  way  of  dealing  with 
the  human  family  You  will  discern  that  purity,  holiness, 


PRE-EXISTENCE ,  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  87 

justice,  perfection,  and  all  that  adorns  the  character  of  the 
Deity  are  contributing  to  the  salvation  of  men.  8  115, 

Our  mortal  existence  is  a  school  of  experience.    9  29 

Our  mortal  bodies  are  all  important  to  us ;  without  them 
we  never  can  be  glorified  in  the  eternities  that  will  be.  We 
are  in  this  state  of  being  for  the  express  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing habitations  for  our  spirits  to  dwell  in,  that  they  may  be- 
come personages  of  tabernacle  9  286. 

Our  bodies  are  all  important  to  us,  though  they  may  be 
old  and  withered,  emaciated  with  toil,  pain,  and  sickness, 
and  our  limbs  bent  with  rheumatism,  all  uniting  to  hasten 
dissolution,  for  death  is  sown  in  our  mortal  bodies.  The 
food  and  drink  we  partake  of  are  contaminated  with  the 
seeds  of  death,  yet  we  partake  of  them  to  extend  our  lives 
until  our  allotted  work  is  finished,  when  our  tabernacles,  in 
a  state  of  ripeness,  are  sown  m  the  earth  to  produce  im- 
mortal fruit  Yet,  if  we  live  our  holy  religion  and  let  the 
spirit  reign,  it  will  not  become  dull  and  stupid,  but  as  the 
body  approaches  dissolution  the  spirit  takes  a  firmer  hold 
on  that  enduring  substance  behind  the  veil,  drawing  from 
the  depths  of  that  eternal  Fountain  of  Light  sparkling 
gems  of  intelligence  which  surround  the  frail  and  sinking 
tabernacle  with  a  halo  of  immortal  wisdom  9  -288 

Until  the  last  spirit  that  has  been  designed  to  come  here 
and  take  a  tabernacle  has  come  upon  the  earth,  the  win  ding- 
up  scene  cannot  come.  8  352. 

Can  you  save  all?  Yes,  you  can  save  all  that  will  be 
saved.  If  people  are  not  saved,  it  is  because  they  are  not 
disposed  to  be  saved.  They  act  for  themselves,  and  act 
from  choice.  9  125. 

The  whole  object  of  the  creation  of  this  world  is  to  exalt 
the  intelligencies  that  are  placed  upon  it,  that  they 'may  live, 


88  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

endure,  and  increase  for  ever  and  ever.  We  are  not  here  to 
quarrel  and  contend  about  the  things  of  this  world,  but  we 
are  here  to  subdue  and  beautify  it.  Let  every  man  and 
woman  worship  their  God  with  all  their  heart.  Let  them 
pay  their  devotions  and  sacrifices  to  him,  the  Supreme,  and 
the  Author  of  their  existence  Do  all  the  good  you  can  to 
your  fellow-creatures.  You  are  flesh  of  my  flesh  and  bone 
of  my  bone.  God  has  created  of  one  blood  all  the  nations 
and  kingdoms  of  men  that  dwell  upon  all  the  face  of  the 
earth ,  black,  white,  copper-colored,  or  whatever  their  color, 
customs,  or  religion,  they  have  all  sprung  from  the  same 
origin;  the  blood  of  all  is  from  the  same  element.  7-290 

The  Lord  created  you  and  me  for  the  purpose  of  becom- 
ing Gods  like  himself,  when  we  have  been  proved  in  our 
present  capacity,  and  have  been  faithful  with  all  things  he 
puts  into  our  possession 

How  many  will  become  thus  privileged ?  Those  who 
honor  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  those  who  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  magnify  their  calling,  and  are  found  pure  and 
holy;  they  shall  be  crowned  in  the  presence  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son  3  93 

The  gi  eat  and  grand  secret  of  salvation,  which  we  should 
continually  seek  to  understand  through  our  faithfulness,  is 
the  continuation  of  the  lives  18  260. 

We  are  all  the  children  of  our  common  Father,  who  has 
placed  us  on  the  earth  to  prove  ourselves,  to  govern,  con- 
trol, educate  and  sanctify  ourselves,  body  and  spirit,  unto 
him,  according  to  his  will  and  pleasure.  When  all  that  class 
of  spirits  designed  to  take  bodies  upon  this  earth  have  done 
so,  then  will  come  the  wmding-up  scene  of  this  particular 
department  of  tjie  works  of  God  on  this  earth  It  is  his 
will  that  we  should  prepare  ourselves  to  build  up  his 


PSE-EXISTENCE;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION          89 

Kingdom,  gather  the  House  of  Israel,  redeem  and  build  up 
Zion  and  Jerusalem,  revolutionize  the  world,  and  bring  back 
that  which  has  been  lost  through  the  fall.  10 :2. 

The  Lord  has  given  the  earth  to  the  children  of  men, 
that  by  the  union  of  mind  and  matter,  inspired  and  directed 
by  the  power  of  eternal  Priesthood,  all  may  be  made  sub- 
ject to  the  Great  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  universe.  9:255 

The  very  laws  which  govern  eternity  are  planned  to  sus- 
tain an  eternal  growth,  gathering  together  and  increasing; 
so  that  the  true  servant  of  God  cannot  possibly  suffer  loss, 
but  will  reap  eternal  gain,  though  he,  for  the  cause  of  truth, 
is  poor  and  needy  through  the  whole  of  this  short  life.  He 
has  made  truth  his  theme,  and  what  is  it?  I  will  say  it  is 
that  which  endures ;  it  is  eternity,  and  its  power  is  to  grow, 
increase,  and  expand,  adding  life  to  life,  and  power  to 
power,  worlds  without  end.  2.129. 

You  may  ask,  "What  is  meted  out  to  us?"  I  answer 
the  ordinances,  the  sacraments  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
instituted  for  the  salvation  of  the  Jews,  for  all  the  House  of 
Israel,  and  then  for  the  Gentiles.  This  is  the  Gospel-^the 
plan  of  salvation  the  Lord  has  given  to  us.  This  is  the 
Kingdom  the  Lord  has  presented  to  us,  the  same  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Apostles  in  the  days  of  Jesus  3  90. 

It  is  the  wish  of  our  Heavenly  Father  to  bring  all  his 
children  back  into  his  presence,  The  spirits  of  all  the 
human  family  dwelt  with  him  before  they  took  tabernacles 
of  flesh  and  became  subject  to  the  fall  and  to  sin.  He  is 
their  spiritual  Father,  and  has  sent  them  here  to  be  clothed 
with  flesh,  and  to  be  subject,  with  their  tabernacles,  to  the 
ills  that  afflict  fallen  humanity.  When  they  have  proved 
themselves  faithful  in  all  things,  and  worthy  before  him, 
they  can  then  have  the  privilege  of  returning  again  to  his 


90  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

presence,  with  their  bodies,  to  dwell  in  the  abodes  of  the 
blessed  If  man  could  have  been  made  perfect  in  his  double 
capacity  of  body  and  spirit,  without  passing  through  the 
ordeals  of  mortality,  there  would  have  been  no  necessity 
of  our  corning  into  this  state  of  trial  and  suffering.  Could 
the  Lord  have  glorified  his  children  in  spirit,  without  a 
body  like  his  own,  he  no  doubt  would  have  done  so  11  43. 

We  had  an  existence  before  we  came  into  the  world. 
Our  spirits  came  here  pure  to  take  these  tabernacles ,  they 
came  to  occupy  them  as  habitations,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  all  that  had  passed  previously  to  our  coming  here 
should  be  taken  away  from  us,  that  we  should  not  know 
anything  about  it  3  367 

The  plan  by  which  God  works  is  rational,  and  meets  the 
capacity  of  his  children.  This  earth  is  the  home  he  has 
prepared  for  us,  and  we  are  to  prepare  ourselves  and  our 
habitations  for  the  celestial  glory  in  store  for  the  faithful 
None  will  be  destroyed  except  those  who  receive  the  oracles 
of  truth  and  reject  them.  None  are  condemned  except  those 
who  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  the  words  of  eternal  life 
and  refuse  to  receive  them  8  294. 

He  governs  by  law.  He  has  also  provided  means  and, 
in  connection  with  the  attributes  he  has  implanted  within 
us,  has  instituted  ordinances  which,  if  we  will  receive  and 
improve  upon,  will  enable  us  to  return  back  into  his 
presence.  13  171. 

Is  there  a  debt  contracted  between  the  Father 
and  his  children?  There  is  Our  first  parents  trans- 
gressed the  law  that  was  given  them  in  the  garden;  their 
eyes  were  opened.  This  created  the  debt.  What  is  the  na- 
ture of  this  debt?  It  is  a  divine  debt.  What  will  pay  it? 


PRE-EXISTENCE ,  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION  91 

I  ask,  Is  there  anything  short  of  a  divine  sacrifice  that  can 
pay  this  debt?  No,  there  is  not. 

A  divine  debt  has  been  contracted  by  the  children,  and 
the  Father  demands  recompense.  He  says  to  his  children 
on  this  earth,  who  are  in  sin  and  transgression,  it  is  im- 
possible for  you  to  pay  this  debt ,  I  have  prepared  a  sacri- 
fice ;  I  will  send  my  Only  Begotten  Son  to  pay  this  divine 
debt.  Was  it  necessary  then  that  Jesus  should  die?  Do  we 
understand  why  he  should  sacrifice  his  life?  The  idea  that 
the  Son  of  God,  who  never  committed  sm,  should  sacrifice 
his  life  is  unquestionably  preposterous  to  the  minds  of  many 
in  the  Christian  world  But  the  fact  exists  that  the  Father, 
the  Divine  Father,  whom  we  serve,  the  God  of  the  Uni- 
verse, the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
the  Father 'of  our  spirits,  provided  this  sacrifice  and  sent 
his  Son  to  die  for  us ,  and  it  is  also  a  great  fact  that  the  Son 
came  to  do  the  will  of  the  Father,  and  that  he  has  paid  the 
debt,  in  fulfilment  of  the  Scripture  which  says,  "He  was 
the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world." 

Is  this  easy  to  understand  ?  It  is  perfectly  easy  to  me , 
and  my  advice  to  those  who  have  queries  and  doubts  on  this 
subject  is,  when  they  reason  and  philosophize  upon  it,  not 
to  plant  their  position  in  falsehood  or  argue  hypothetically, 
but  upon  the  facts  as  they  exist,  and  they  will  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  unless  God  provides  a  Savior  to  pay  this 
debt  it  can  never  be  paid.  Can  all  the  wisdom  of  the  world 
devise  means  by  which  we  can  be  redeemed,  and  return 
to  the  presence  of  our  Father  and  Elder  Brother,  and  dwell 
with  holy  angels  and  celestial  beings?  No;  it  is  beyond 
the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  that 
now  live,  or  that  ever  did  or  ever  will  live,  to  prepare  er 
create  a  sacrifice  that  will  pay  this  divine  debt.  But  God 


92  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGIIAM  YOUNG 

provided  it,  and  his  Son  has  paid  it,  and  we,  each  and  every 
one,  can  now  receive  the  truth  and  be  saved  in  the  King- 
dom of  God  Is  it  clear  and  plain  ?  It  is  to  me,  and  if  you 
have  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  is  as  plain  to  you  as  anything  else 
in  the  world.  14 .71. 

Has  the  Lord  cast  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  any  indi- 
vidual, to  deprive  him  of  the  privilege  of  being  exalted ?  No, 
not  one,  but  every  thing  that  could  be  done  has  been  done, 
every  provision  that  could  be  made  has  been  made,  every 
law  that  could  be  instituted  to  encourage  and  elevate  the 
people,  to  increase  their  faith,  their  knowledge,  their  under- 
standing, and  to  lead  them  to  life  and  salvation,  the  Lord 
has  brought  to  this  people.  4.196 

The  world  is  before  us,  eternity  is  before  us,  and  an  in- 
exhaustible fountain  of  intelligence  for  us  to  obtain  8  8. 

It  seems  to  be  absolutely  necessary  in  the  providence  of 
him  who  created  us,  and  who  organized  and  fashioned  all 
things  according  to  his  wisdom,  that  man  must  descend 
below  all  things.  It  is  written  of  the  Savior  in  the  Bible 
that  he  descended  below  all  things  that  he  might  ascend 
above  all  Is  it  not  so  with  every  man  ?  Certainly  it  is  It  is 
fit,  then,  that  we  should  descend  below  all  things  and  come 
up  gradually,  and  learn  a  little  now  and  again,  receive  "line 
upon  line,  precept  upon  precept,  here  a  little  and  there  a 
little"  153. 

We  know  the  design  of  our  Father  in  Heaven  in  creat- 
ing the  earth  and  in  peopling  it,  and  bringing  forth  the 
myriads  of  organizations  which  dwell  upon  it  We  know 
that  all  this  is  for  his  glory— to  swell  the  eternities  that 
are  befoie  him  with  intelligent  beings  who  are  capable  of 
enjoying  the  height  of  glory.  But,  before  we  can  come  in 
possession  of  this,  we  need  large  experience,  and  its  acquisi- 


PRE-EXISTENCE;  THE  PLAN  OF  SALVATION          93 

tion  is  a  slow  process.  Our  lives  here  are  for  the  purpose 
of  acquiring  this,  and  the  longer  we  live  the  greater  it 
should  be.  14:229. 

It  has  also  been  decreed  by  the  Almighty  that  spirits, 
upon  taking  bodies,  shall  forget  all  they  had  known  prev- 
iously, or  they  could  not' have  a  day  of  trial — could  not  have 
an  opportunity  for  proving  themselves  in  darkness  and 
temptation,  in  unbelief  and  wickedness,  to  prove  themselves 
worthy  of  eternal  existence,  6:333. 

Recollect  the  saying  of  one  of  the  Apostles,  when  speak- 
ing about  getting  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  that  "if  the 
righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and 
the  sinner  appear?"  The  best  man  that  ever  lived  on  this 
earth  only  just  made  out  to  save  himself  through  the  grace 
of  God.  The  best  woman  that  ever  lived  on  the  earth  has 
only  just  made  her  escape  from  this  world  to  a  better  one, 
with  a  full  assurance  of  enjoying  the  first  resurrection.  It 
requires  all  the  atonement  of  Christ,  the  mercy  of  the 
Father,  the  pity  of  angels  and  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  to  be  with  us  always,  and  then  to  do  the  very  best  we 
possibly  can,  to  get  rid  of  this  sin  within  us,  so  that  we 
may  escape  from  this  world  into  the  celestial  kingdom. 

maoi. 

Millions  of  them  have  passed  away,  both  in  the  Christian 
and  in  the  heathen  worlds,  just  as  honest,  virtuous  and  up- 
right as  any  now  living.  The  Christian  world  say  they  are 
lost ;  but  the  Lord  will  save  them,  or,  at  least,  all  who  will 
receive  the  Gospel.  The  plan  of  salvation  which  Jesus  has 
revealed,  and  which  we  preach,  reaches  to  the  lowest  and 
most  degraded  of  Adam's  lost  race.  Is  he  going  to  save  all 
in  the  same  glory  and  bring  all  the  same  state  of  felicity? 
Will  they  who  refuse  to  obey  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 


94  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

be  saved  and  exalted  in  the  same  kingdom  and  glory  as 
they  who  have  obeyed?  No,  never,  never!  It  is  impossi- 
ble. 13:323. 

Darkness  and  sin  were  permitted  to  come  on  this  earth. 
Man  partook  of  the  forbidden  fruit  in  accordance  with  a 
plan  devised  from  'eternity,  that  mankind  might  be  brought 
in  contact  with  the  principles  and  powers  of  darkness,  that 
they  might  know  the  bitter  and  the  sweet,  the  good  and  the 
evil,  and  be  able  to  discern  between  light  and  darkness,  to 
enable  them  to  receive  light  continually  7.158. 

The  greatest  desire  in  the  bosom  of  our  Father  Adam, 
or  of  his  faithful  children  who  are  co-workers  with  God, 
our  Father  in  Heaven,  is  to  save  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth.  8:174. 


CHAPTER  V 
FREE  AGENCY 

All  rational  beings  have  an  agency  of  their  own ;  and  ac- 
cording to  their  own  choice  they  will  be  saved  or  damned. 
6:97. 

The  volition  of  the  creature  is  free ;  this  is  a  law  of  their 
existence  and  the  Lord  cannot  violate  his  own  law;  were 
he  to  do  that,  he  would  cease  to  be  God.  He  has  placed 
life  and  death  before  his  children,  and  it  is  for  them  to 
choose.  If  they  choose  life,  they  receive  the  blessing  of 
life;  if  they  choose  death,  they  must  abide  the  penalty 
This  is  a  law  which  has  always  existed  from  all  eternity, 
and  will  continue  to  exist  throughout  all  the  eternities  to 
come.  Every  intelligent  being  must  have  the  power  of 
choice,  and  God  brings  forth  the  results  of  the  acts  of  his 
creatures  to  promote  his  Kingdom  and  subserve  his  pur- 
poses in  the  salvation  and  exaltation  of  his  children. 
11:272. 

My  independence  is  sacred  to  me — it  is  a  portion  of  that 
same  Deity  that  rules  in  the  heavens.  'There  is  not  a  being 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth  who  is  made  in  the  image  of 
God,  who  stands  erect  and  is  organized  as  God  is,  that 
would  be  deprived  of  the  free  exercise  of  his  agency  so  far 
as  he  does  not  infringe  upon  others'  rights,  save  by  good 
advice  and  a  good  example.  10:191. 

When  the  Lord  made  man,  he  made  him  an  agent  ac- 
countable to  his  God,  with  liberty  to  act  and  to  do  as  he 
pleases,  to  a  certain  extent,  in  order  to  prove  himself.  There 
is  a  law  that  governs  man  thus  far ;  but  the  law  of  the  celes- 


96  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

tial  kingdom,  as  I  have  frequently  told  you,  is,  and  always 
will  be,  the  same  to  all  the  children  of  Adam.  2  139 

He  has  given  them  the  privilege  of  choosing  for  them- 
selves, whether  it  be  good  or  evil,  but  the  result  of  our 
choice  is  still  in  his  hand  All  his  children  have  the  right 
of  making  a  path  for  themselves,  of  walking  to  the  right  or 
to  the  left,  of  telling  the  truth  or  that  which  is  not  true 
This  right  God  has  given  to  all  people  who  dwell  on  the 
earth,  and  they  can  legislate  and  act  as  they  please ,  but  God 
holds  them  in  his  hands,  and  he  will  bring  forth  the  re- 
sults of  his  glory,  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  love 
and  serve  him,  and  he  will  make  the  wrath  of  men  to  praise 
him  All  of  us  are  in  the  hands  of  that  God  13  178. 

We  possess  no  ability,  only  that  which  is  given  us  of 
God  He  has  endowed  us  with  glorious  faculties,  with  God- 
like attributes  like  those  which  are  incorporated  in  his  own 
nature,  and  he  has  placed  us  upon  this  earth  to  honor 
them,  and  to  sanctify  ourselves  and  the  earth  preparatory 
to  enjoying  it  in  its  celestial  state  We  are  not,  in  any- 
thing, independent  of  God  We  inherit  what  we  possess 
from  him  Yet  it  is  so  ordained,  in  the  fathomless  wisdom 
of  God,  that  we  should  be^  agents  to  ourselves  to  choose  the 
good  or  the  evil,  and  thereby  save  and  exalt  our  existence, 
or  lose  it  10-265 

Our  Father  controls  the  results  of  our  acts  at  his  own 
pleasure,  and  we  cannot  prevent  it  Man  can  produce  and 
control  his  own"  acts,  but  he  has  no  control  over  their  re- 
sults. God  causes  even  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  him,  to 
redound  to  his  glory  and  the  salvation  of  his  children  8 :18. 

The  Lord  has  not  established  laws  by  which  I  am  com- 
pelled to  have  my  shoes  made  in  a  certain  style  He  has 
never  given  a  law  to  determine  whether  I  shall  have  a 


FREE    AGENCY  97 

square-toed  boot  or  a  peaked-toe  boot;  whether  I  shall 
have  a  coat  with  the  waist  just  under  my  arms,  and  the 
skirts  down  to  my  heels ;  or  whether  I  shall  have  a  coat  like 
the  one  I  have  on.  Intelligence,  to  a  certain  extent,  was  be- 
stowed both  upon  Saint  and  sinner,  to  use  independently, 
aside  from  whether  they  have  the  law  of  the  Priesthood  or 
not,  or  whether  they  have  ever  heard  of  it  or  not/  2:139. 

We  cannot  all  do  just  as*we  please,  because  a  great 
many  times  we  want  to  and  cannot,  and  that  is  what  pro- 
duces misery,  which  is  called  hell.  13 :33. 

How  far  does  our  agency  extend?  There  are  certain 
bounds  to  it.  What  we  have  witnessed  in  thirty  years'  ex- 
perience teaches  us  that  man  can  appoint,  but  God  can  dis- 
appoint. Man  can  load  his  gun  to  shoot  his  neighbor,  but 
he  cannot  make  the  ball  hit  him,  if  the  Lord  Almighty  see 
fit  to  turn  it  away.  He  can  draw  the  sword  to  hew  down 
his  fellow-man ;  but  instead  of  that,  he  may  fall  upon  it  him- 
self. 8:31. 

There  are  limits  to  agency,  and  to  all  things  and  to  all 
beings,  and  our  agency  must  not  infringe  upon  that  law.  A 
man  must  choose  life  or  death,  and  if  he  chooses  death  he 
will  find  himself  abridged,  and  that  the  agency  which  is 
given  to  him  is  so  bound  up  that  he  cannot  exercise  it  in 
opposition  to  the  law,  without  laying  himself  liable  to  be 
corrected  and  punished  by  the  Almighty. 

A  man  can  dispose  of  his  agency  or  of  his  birth-right, 
as  did  Esau  of  old,  but  when  disposed  of,  he  cannot  again 
obtain  it;  consequently,  it  behooves  us  to  be  careful,  and 
not  forfeit  that  agency  that  is  given  to  us.  The  difference 
between  the  righteous  and  the  sinner,  eternal  life  or  death, 
happiness  or  misery,  is  this,  to  those  who  are  exalted  there 
are  no  bounds  or  limits  to  their  privileges,  their  blessings 


98  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

have  a  continuation,  and  to  their  kingdoms,  thrones,  and 
dominions,  principalities,  and  powers  there  is  no  end,  but 
they  increase  through  all  eternity ,  whereas,  those  who  re- 
ject the  offer,  who  despise  the  proffered  mercies  of  the 
Lord,  and  prepare  themselves  to  be  banished  from  his 
presence,  and  to  become  companions  of  the  devils,  have 
their  agency  abridged  immediately,  and  bounds  and  limits 
are  put  to  their  operations.*  3  267. 

The  Lord  does  not  compel  any  person  to  embrace  the 
Gospel,  and  I  do  not  think  he  will  compel  them  to  live  it 
after  they  have  embraced  it.  10  282. 

Our  religion  will  not  permit  us  to  command  or  force 
any  man  or  woman  to  obey  the  Gospel  we  have  embraced 
And  we  a*e  under  no  obligation  to  do  this,  for  every  crea- 
ture has  as  good  a  right,  according  to  his  organization,  to 
choose  for  himself  as  the  Gods.  14  -94 

Not  that  the  diyeise  creeds  are  right,  but  the  agency 
of  the  believers  therein  demands  protection  for  them,  as 
well  as  for  us.  3  257. 

Do  you  suppose  that  the  Lord  would  have  ever  given  a 
king  to  Israel,  if  they  had  not  required  one  of  his  hands? 
No,  he  would  have  been  their  king  and  ruler,  and  there 
would  have  been  a  prophet  to  guide  them,  had  it  not  been 
for  their  rebellion.  They  made  choice  of  a  king,  and  God 
gave  them  one  in  his  anger. 

Their  rebellion  against  the  law,  the  agency  given  to 
them  allowing  their  free  choice',  induced  them  to  ask  for  a 
king,  and  God  gave  them  one.  3 :257. 

When  I  contemplate  the  endless  variety  in  the  disposi- 
tions, understandings,  temperaments,  countenances,  and  or- 
ganizations of  people,  I  am  not  surprised  that  there  are 
those  who  do  not  understand  things  as  I  do.  I  expect  peo- 


FREE    AGENCY  99 

pie  to  have  their  own  peculiar  views,  forms,  principles,  and 
notions.  In  consequence  of  this  great  variety,  we  should 
not  be  astonished  if  all  do  not  believe  the  Gospel — do  not 
love  the  truth.  8  131. 

It  is  as  much  my  nght  to  differ  from  other  men,  as  it  is 
theirs  to  differ  from  me,  in  points  of  doctrine  and  principle, 
when  our  minds  cannot  at  once  arrive  at  the  same  conclu- 
sion. I  feel  it  sometimes  very  difficult  indeed  to  word  my 
thoughts  as  they  exist  in  my  own  mind,  which,  I  presume, 
is  the  grand  cause  of  many  apparent  differences  in  senti- 
ment which  may  exist  among  the  Saints.  2.123. 

I  am  not  going  to  drive  a  man  or  a  woman  to  heaven 
A  great  many  think  that  they  will  be  able  to  flog  people 
into'  heaven,  but  this  can  never  be  done,  for  the  intelligence 
in  us  is  as  independent  as  the  Gods  People  are  not  to  be 
driven,  arid  you  can  put  into  a  gnat's  eye  all  the  souls  of 
the  children  of  men  that  are  driven  into  heaven  by  preach- 
ing hell-fire.  9:124 

When  misuse  of  power  has  reached  a  certain  stage,  the 
divinity  that  is  within  the  people  asserts  its  right  and  they 
free  themselves  from  the  power  of  despotism  10:191. 

When  the  people  do  all  they  can,  the  Lord  is  bound  to 
do  the  rest.  3:154. 

Many  are  disposed  through  their  own  wickedness  "to 
do  as  I  damned  please,"  and  they  are  damned.  1 1  254. 

When  a  truth  is  presented  to  an  intelligent  person  he 
ought  to  grasp  it  and  receive  it  in  his  faith  8 .59. 

You  may  know  whether  you  are  led  right  or  wrong,  as 
well  as  you  know  the  way  home;  for  every  principle  God 
has  revealed  carries  its  own  convictions  of  its  truth  to  the 
human  mind,  and  there  is  no  calling  of  God  to  man  on  earth 


100  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

but  what  brings  with  it  the  evidence  of  its  authenticity. 
9:149. 

You  cannot  break  nor  destroy  the  will.  It  is  influenced 
and  controlled,  more  or  less,  by  the  evil  that  is  sown  in  the 
flesh,  but  not  in  the  spirit,  until  the  body  has  grown  to 
years  of  accountability ,  then  evil,  when  listened  to,  begins 
to  rule  and  overrule  the  spirit  God  has  placed  within  man. 
6-332. 

Men  should  not  be  permitted  to  do  as  they  please  in  all 
things ;  for  there  are  rules  regulating  all  good  societies  and 
the  business  intercourse  of  men  with  each  other,  which  are 
just  and  righteous  in  themselves,  the  violation  of  which 
cannot  be  countenanced  either  by  civil  or  religious  usages 
It  is  not  the  privilege  of  any  man  to  waste  the  time  of  his 
employer  under  any  pretense  whatever,  and  the  cause  of 
religion,  good  government,  and  humanity  is  not  in  the  least 
degree  advanced  by  the  practice,  but  the  contrary  is  really 
the  case.  Men  should  be  abridged  in  doing  wrong;  they 
should  not  be  free  to  sin  against  God  or  against  man  with- 
out suffering  such  penalties  as  their  sins  deserve  12-153, 

Does  it  follow  that  a  man  is  deprived  of  his  rights,  be- 
cause he  lists  in  his  heart  to  do  the  will  of  God?  Must  a 
man  swear  to  prove  that  he  has  an  agency?  I  contend 
there  is  no  necessity  for  that,  nor  for  stealing  nor  for  doing 
any  wrong  I  can  manifest  to  the  heavens  and  to  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  that  I  am  free-born,  and  have  my  lib- 
erty before  God,  angels  and  men,  when  I  kneel  down  to 
pray,  certainly  as  much  as  if  I  were  to  go  out  and  swear,  I 
have  the  right  to  call  my  family  together  at  certain  hours 
for  prayer,  and  I  believe  that  this  course  proves  that  I  am  a 
free  agent;  as  much  as  if  I  were  to  steal,  swear,  lie,  and  get 
drunk.  10:323. 


FREE   AGENCY  1Q1 

We  would  not  make  everybody  bow  down  to  our  re- 
ligion, if  we  had  the  power ;  for  this"  would  not  be  Godlike. 
14:94. 

The  eternal  laws  by  which  he  and  all  others  exist  in 
the  eternities  of  the  Gods  decree  that  the  consent  of  the 
creature  must  be  obtained  before  the  Creator  can  rule  per- 
fectly. 15:134. 

The  Lord  has  a  school  upon  the  earth,  and  we  are  his 
scholars;  and  the  Devil  also  has  a  school  attended  by  a 
great  number  of  scholars.  While  we  have  been  learning 
how  to  sustain  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth,  the 
Devil  and  his  pupils  have  been  learning  how  to  sustain  the 
kingdom  of  darkness.  From  the  very  nature  of  the  two 
kingdoms  upon  one  planet,  the  crisis  must  come  when  there 
will  be  a  literal  open  warfare,  just  as  much  as  there  now  is 
a  warfare  within  us  against  evil ;  and  if  we,  as  individuals 
and  as  a  community^  have  gained  the  victory  over  our  pas- 
sions to  such  a  degree  that  our  Father  knows  that  we  are 
capable  of  actually  sustaining  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
the  earth,  just  so  true  we  shall  be  a  kingdom  by  ourselves. 
If  we  are  not  yet  capable  of  maintaining  and  rightly  man- 
aging that  kingdom,  it  will  not  at  present  be  given  to  us  in 
the  fulness  thereof ;  but  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be 
given  and  established  in  its  perfect  organization  on  the 
earth.  5 :328. 

The  law  of  liberty  is  the  law  of  right  in  every  particular. 
12:152. 

There  is  not,  has  not  been,  and  never  can  be  any  method, 
scheme,  or  plan  devised  by  any  being  in  this  world  for  in- 
telligence to  exist  eternally  and  obtain  an  exaltation,  with- 
out knowing  the  good  and  the  evil — without  tasting  the 
bitter  and  the  sweet.  Can  the  people  understand  that  it  is 


102  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

actually  necessary  for  opposite  principles  to  be  placed  be- 
fore them,  or  this  state  of  being  would  be  no  probation,  and 
we  should  have  no  opportunity  for  exercising  the  agency 
given  us?  Can  they  understand  that  we  cannot  obtain  eter- 
nal life  unless  we  actually  know  and  comprehend  by  our 
experience  the  principle  of  good  and  the  principle  of  evil, 
the  light  and  the  darkness,  truth,  virtue,  and  holiness,— also 
vice,  wickedness,  and  corruption?  We  must  discern  and 
acknowledge  that  the  providences  of  the  Lord  are  over  all 
the  works  of  his  hands— that  when  he  produces  intelligent 
beings  he  watches  over  them  for  their  good  He  has  given 
human  beings  an  intelligence  designed  to  become  eternal, 
self-existent,  independent,  and  as  Godlike  as  any  being-  in 
the  heavens. 

To  answer  such  design,  we  are  given  our  agency — the 
control  of  our  belief,  and  must  know  the  darkness  from  the 
light  and  the  light  from  the  darkness,  and  must  taste  the 
bitter  as  well  as  the  sweet  7  237-238. 

What  would  we  know  about  heaven  or  happiness  were 
it  not  for  their  opposite?  3  '321. 

Let  the  Kingdom  alone,  the  Lord  steadies  the  ark ;  and  if 
it  does  jostle,  and  appear  to  need  steadying,  if  the  way  is  a 
little  sideling  sometimes,  and  to  all  appearance  threatens 
its  overthrow,  be  careful  how  you  stretch  forth  your  hands 
to  steady  it;  let  us  not  be  too  officious  in  meddling  with 
that  which  does  not  concern  us ;  let  it  alone,  it  is  the  Lord's 
work.  11-252. 

Every  person  who  will  examine  his  own  experience — 
who  will  watch  closely  the  leading  of  his  own  desires— will 
learn  that  the  very  great  majority  prefer  to  do  good  rather 
than  to  do  evil,  and  would  pursue  a  correct  course,  were 
it  not  for  the  evil  power  that  subjects  them  to  its  sway. 


FREE    AGENCY  103 

In  wrong  doing,  their  own  consciences  condemn  them. 
6:330-331. 

Shall  we  deny  the  existence  of  that  which  we  do  not 
understand?  If  we  do,  we  would  want  to  keep  an  iron  bed- 
stead to  measure  every  person  according  to  our  own  meas- 
urements and  dimensions ;  and  if  persons  were  too  long  we 
would  cut  them  off,  and  if  too  short  draw  them  out  But 
we  should  discard  this  principle,  and  our  motto  should  be, 
we  will  let  every  one  believe  as  he  pleases  and  follow  out 
the  convictions  of  his  own  mind,  for  all  are  free  to  choose 
or  refuse ;  they  are  free  to  serve  God  or  to  deny  him  We 
have  the  Scriptures  of  divine  truth,  and  we  are  free  to  be- 
lieve or  deny  them.  But  we  shall  be  brought  to  judgment 
before  God  for  all  these  things,  and  shall  have  to  give  an 
account  to  him  who  has  the  right  to  call  us  to  an  account 
for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  14.131. 

There  is  not  an  individual  upon  the  earth  but  what  has 
within  himself  ability  to  save  or  to  destroy  himself;  and 
such  is  the  case  with  nations.  5 :53. 


CHAPTER  VI 
THE  POWER  OF  EVIL 

Lucifer — There  was  a  devil  in  heaven,  and  he  strove  to 
possess  the  birthright  of  the  Savior  He  was  a  liar  from 
the  beginning,  and  loves  those  who  love  and  make  lies,  as 
do  his  imps  and  followers  here  on  the  earth  8  279-80. 

The  spirits  that  were  cast  out  of  heaven,  which  you 
know  are  recorded  to  have  been  one-third  part,  were  thrust 
down  to  this  earth,  and  have  been  here  all  the  time,  with 
Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morning,  at  their  head.  4-133, 

The  spirits  of  devils  have  been  deprived  of  bodies,  and 
that  constitutes  their  curse,  that  is  to  say,  speaking  after  the 
manner  of  men,  you  shall  be  wanderers  on  the  earth,  you 
have  got  to  live  out  of  doors  all  the  time  you  live. 

That  is  the  situation  of  the  spirits  that  were  sent  to  the 
earth,  when  the  revolt  took  place  in  heaven,  when  Lucifer, 
the  Son  of  the  Morning,  was  cast  out,  Where  did  he  go? 
He  came  here,  and  one-third  part  of  the  spirits  in  heaven 
came  with  him.  Do  you  suppose  that  one-third  part  of  all 
beings  that  existed  in  eternity  came  with  him?  No,  but 
one-third  part  of  the  spirits  that  were  begotten  and  organ- 
ized and  brought  forth  to  become  tenants  of  fleshly  bodies 
to  dwell  upon  this  earth.  They  forsook  Jesus  Christ,  the 
rightful  heir,  and  joined  with  Lucifer,  the  Son  of  the  Morn- 
ing, and  came  to  this  earth;  they  got  here  first.  As  soon 
as  Mother  Eve  made  her  appearance  in  the  garden  of  Eden, 
the  Devil  was  on  hand.  3 :368-369. 

As  it  has  always  been,  and  will  be  yet  for  some  time, 
when  the  sons  of  God  assemble  together  Satan  will  be  on 


THE    POWER  OF  EVIL  105 

hand  as  an  accuser  of  the  brethren,  to  find  fault  with  those 
who  are  trying  to  do  good.  11 :141. 

The  power  of  the  Devil  is  limited ;  the  power  of  God  is 
unlimited  3 .267. 

Who  owns  this  earth ?  Does  the  Devil?  No,  he  does 
not,  he  pretended  to  own  it  when  the  Savior  was  here,  and 
promised  it  all  to  him  if  he  would  fall  down  and  worship 
him ;  but  he  did  not  own  a  foot  of  land,  he  only  had  posses- 
sion of  it.  He  was  an  intruder,  and  is  still;  this  earth  be- 
longs to  him  that  framed  and  organized  it,  and  it  is  ex- 
pressly for  his  glory  and  the  possession  of  those  who  love 
and  serve- him  and  keep  his  commandments;  but  the  enemy 
has  possession  of  it.  15 .5. 

If  true  principles  are  revealed  from  heaven  to  men,  and 
if  there  are  angels,  and  there  is  a  possibility  of  their  com- 
municating to  the  human  family,  always  look  for  an  oppo- 
site power,  an  evil  power,  to  give  manifestations  also;  look 
out  for  the  counterfeit.  240. 

I  frequently  think  of  the  difference  between  the  power 
of  God  and  the  power  of  the  Devil  To  illustrate,  here  is  a 
structure  in  which  we  can  be  seated  comfortably,  protected 
from  the  heat  of  summer  or  the  cold  of  winter.  Now,  it  re- 
quired labor,  mechanical  skill  and  ingenuity  and  faithful- 
ness and  diligence  to  erect  this  building,  but  any  poor, 
miserable  fool  or  devil  can  set  fire  to  it  and  destroy  it  That 
is  just  what  the  Devil  can  do,  .but  he  never  can  build  any- 
thing The  difference  between  God  and  the  Devil  is  that 
God  createsvand  organizes,  while  the  whole  study  of  the 
Devil  is  to  destroy.  Every  one  that  follows  the  evil  inclina- 
tions of  his  own  natural  evil  heart  is  going  to  destruction, 
and  sooner  or  later  he  will  be  no  more.  I  pray  you  Latter- 
day  Saints  to  live  your  religion.  13 .4. 


106  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

What,  then,  is  the  mission  of  Satan,  that  common  foe  of 
all  the  children  of  men?  It  is  to  destroy  and  make  deso- 
late, 11-240. 

The  Devil  delights  in  the  work  of  destruction— -to  burn 
and  lay  waste  and  destroy  the  whole  earth.  He  delights  to 
convulse  and  throw  into  confusion  the  affairs  of  men, 
politically,  religiously  and  morally,  introducing  war  with 
its  long  train  of  dreadful  consequences.  It  is  evil  which 
causeth  all  these  miseries  and  all  deformity  to  come  upon 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  But  that  which  is  of  God  is 
pure,  lovely,  holy  and  full  of  all  excellency  and  truth,  no 
matter  where  it  is  found,  in  hell,  in  heaven,  upon  the  earth, 
or  in  the  planets.  11  240. 

Every  providence  and  dispensation  of  God  to  his  earthly 
children  tends  directly  to  life  and  salvation,  while  the  in- 
fluences and  powers  exerted  by  the  enemy  upon  ^mankind 
and  every  suggestion  of  our  corrupt  natures  tends  to  death. 
10.221 

The  adversary  presents  his  principles  and  arguments  in 
the  most  approved  style,  and  in  the  most  winning:  tone,  at- 
tended with  the  most  graceful  attitudes;  and  he  is  very 
careful  to  ingratiate  himself  into  the  favor  of  the  powerful 
and  influential  of  mankind,  uniting  himself  with  popular 
parties,  floating  into  offices  of  trust  and  emolument  by 
pandering  to  popular  feeling,  though  it  should  seriously 
wrong  and  oppress  the  innocent.  11  *238. 

Show  me  one  principle  that  has  originated  by  the  power 
of  the  Devil  You  cannot  do  it  I  call  evil  inverted  good, 
or  a  correct  principle  made  an  evil  use  of  3  157. 

The  Devil's  forces  are  particularly  marshalled  against 
us  5-353 

You  are  aware  that  many  think  that  the  Devil  has  rule 


THE   POWER  OF  EVIL  107 

and  power  over  both  body  and  spirit.  Now,  I  want  to  tell 
you  that  he  does  not  hold  any  power  over  man,  only  so  far 
as  the  body  overcomes  the  spirit  that  is  in  a  man,  through 
yielding  to  the  spirit  of  evil.  The  spirit  that  the  Lord  puts 
into  a  tabernacle  of  flesh,  is  under  the  dictation  of  the  Lord 
Almighty ;  but  the  spirit  and  body  are  united  in  order  that 
the  spirit  may  have  a  tabernacle,  and  be  exalted ;  and  the 
spirit  is  influenced  by  the  body,  and  the  body  by  the  spirit 

In  the  first  place  the  spirit  is  pure,  and  under  the  spe- 
cial control  and  influence  of  the  Lord,  but  the  body  is  of 
the  earth,  and  is  subject  to  the  power  of  the  Devil,  and  is 
under  the  mighty  influence  of  that  fallen  nature  that  is  of 
the  earth  If  the  spirit  yields  to  the  body,  the  Devil  then 
has  power  to  overcome  the  body  and  spirit  of  that  man, 
and  he  loses  both. 

Recollect,  brethren  and  sisters,  every  one  of  you,  that 
when  evil  is  suggested  to  you,  when  it  arises  in  your  hearts, 
it  is  through  the  temporal  organization.  When  you  are 
tempted,  buffeted,  and  step  out  of  the  way  inadvertently; 
when  you  are  overtaken  in  a  fault,  or  commit  an  overt 
act  unthinkingly;  when  you  are  full  of  evil  passion,  and 
wish  to  yield  to  it,  then  stop  and  let  the  spirit,  which  God 
has  put  into  your  tabernacles,  take  the  lead  If  you  do  that, 
I  will  promise  that  you  will  overcome  all  evil,  and  obtain 
eternal  lives.  But  many,  very  many,  let  the  spirit  yield  to 
the  body,  and  are  overcome  and  destroyed  2  255, 

Evil  is  with  us,  it  is  that  influence  which  tempts  to  sin, 
and  which  has  been  permitted  to  come  into  the  world  for  the 
express  purpose  of  giving  us  an  opportunity  of  proving 
ourselves  before  God,  before  Jesus  Christ,  our  Elder  Brother, 
before  the  holy  angels,  and  before  all  good  men,  that  we  are 
determined  to  overcome  the  evil,  and  cleave  to  the  good,  for 


108  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

the  Lord  has  given  us  the  ability  to  do  so  Consequently, 
when  the  evil  is  present  with  me,  I  have  a  little  fighting  to 
do,  I  must  turn  and  combat  it  until  it  is  eradicated  from  my 
affections,  as  well  as  from  my  actions,  that  I  may  have 
power  to  do  all  the  good  I  wish  to  perform.  Every  person 
is  capable  of  this,  all  can  bridle  their  tongues,  and  cease 
from  every  evil  act  from  this  time  henceforth  and  forever, 
and  do  good  instead  1  91. 

There  aie  but  two  parties  on  the  earth,  one  for  God  and 
the  other  for  the  world  or  the  evil  one  No  matter  how 
many  names  the  Christian  or  heathen  world  bear,  or  how 
many  sects  and  creeds  may  exist,  thereat  tw*Jv  ^  narties, 
one  for  heaven  and  God,  and  the  other  -wo  to  s^?f^--  ther 
kingdom  than  the  celestial  kingdom  of  (  J^M&cartr 

Do  not  imagine  that  I  am  in  the  Ieast8uiiding  fault  with 
the  Devil.  I  would  not  bring  a  railing  accusation  against 
him,  for  he  is  fulfilling  his  office  and  calling  manfully ,  he  is 
more  faithful  m  his  calling  than  are  many  of  the  people. 
God  is  not  yet  going  to  destroy  wickedness  from  the  earth 
How  frequently  we  hear  it  reiterated  from  the  pulpit  that 
he  is  going  to  destroy  all  wickedness.  No  such  thing  He 
will  destroy  the  power  of  sin  The  work  the  Savior  has  on 
hand  is  to  reduce  the  power  of  the  Devil  to  perfect  subjec- 
tion; and  when  he  has  destroyed  death  and  him  that  has 
the  power  'of  it,  pertaining  to  this  world,  then  he  will  de- 
liver up  the  kingdom  spotless  to  the  Father.  9  -108. 

Cease  to  mingle  with  the  wicked.  Many  of  our  Elders 
seem  to  believe  that  Christ  and  Baal  can  yet  be  made 
friends.  How  many  times  Elders  of  Israel  try  to  make  me 
fellowship  the  Devil,  or  his  imps,  or  his  servants,  also  try 
to  make  you  fellowship  your  enemies,  to  amalgamate  the 
feelings  of  the  Saints  and  the  ungodly !  It  cannot  be  done ; 


THE   POWER  OF   EVIL  ^  109 

it  never  was  done,  and  never  can  be  accomplished.  Christ 
and  Baal  never  can  be  friends.  One  or  the  other  must  reign 
triumphantly  on  the  earth,  and  I  say  that  Jesus  Christ  shall 
reign,  and  I  will  help  him;  and  Baal  shall  not  reign  here 
much  longer— the  Devil  shall  not  have  power  much  longer 
upon  the  land  of  Joseph.  8 :325-6. 

Who  is  the  enemy  of  mankind?  He  who  wishes  to 
change  truth  for  error  and  light  for  darkness;  he  who 
wishes  to  take  peace  from  a  family,  city,  state  pr  nation  and 
give  the  sword  in  return.  He  is  my  enemy,  he  is  your 
enemy  and  the  enemy  of  mankind.  Who  is  the  friend  of 
mankind?  He  who  makes  peace  between  those  who  are 
at  enmity,  who  brings  together  those  who,  perhaps,  through 
some  misunderstanding,  have  been  at  variance  with  and 
lost  friendship  and  fellowship  for  each  other,  and  shows 
them  that  their  ill-will  is  without  foundation  t  and  existed 
simply  because  they  did  not  understand  each  other.  16  24. 

Who  is  your  enemy  and  mine?  He  that  teaches  lan- 
guage that  is  unbecoming,  that  presents  falsehood  for 
truth,  that  furnishes  false  premises  to  build  upon  instead  of 
true,  or  that  is  full  of  anger  and  mischief  to  his  fellow 
beings. '  I  call  jo  others  enemies.  16:24. 

Can  error  live?  No,  it  is  the  very  plant  of  destruction, 
it  destroys  itself;  it  withers,  it  fades,  it  falls  and  decays 
and  returns  to  its  native  element.  Every  untruth,  all  error, 
everything  that  is  unholy,  unlike  God,  will,  in  its  time, 
perish.  14:93. 

You  need  have  no  fear  but  the  fear  to  offend  God.  4.369. 

Who  are  the  evildoers  ?  Those  who  have  had  the  light 
presented  to  them,  and  rejected  it.  8 :357. 

If  we  live  so  as  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  the  faith  that  we 


110  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

have  embraced  there  is  no  danger  of  our  being  deceived 
14:157. 

The  wicked  cannot  do  anything  against  the  truth  Every 
move  they  make  to  crush  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  be  at- 
tended with  the  signal  blessings  of  the  Almighty  for  its  fur- 
ther extension  and  ultimate  triumph  All  their  efforts  will 
result  in  the  overthrow  of  sin  and  iniquity,  and  the  in- 
crease of  righteousness  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the 
earth.  8.175. 

False  Spirits — There  are  many  spirits  gone  out  into  the 
world,  and  the  false  spirits  are  giving  revelations  as  well  as 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  3  '44 

There  are  myriads  of  disembodied  evil  spirits— those 
who  have  long  ago  laid  down  their  bodies  here  and  in  the 
regions  round  about,  among  and  around  us,  and  they  are 
trying  to  make  us  and  our  children  sick,  and  are  trying  to 
destroy  us  and  to  tempt  us  to  evil  They  will  try  every 
possible  means  they  are  masters  of  to  draw  us  aside  from 
the  path  of  righteousness  6  73-4. 

The  children  of  men  give  heed  to  the  deceiving  spirits 
that  are  abroad,  and  that  is  the  cause  of  the  ten  thousand 
errors,  wrongs,  sins  and  divisions  which  are  in  the  world, 
and  for  this  reason  the  multitude  are  unable  to  distinguish 
between  the  voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd  and  the  voice  of 
the  stranger.  16  75. 

It  was  revealed  to  me  in  the  commencement  of  this 
Church,  that  the  Church  would  spread,  prosper,  grow  and 
extend,  and  that  in  proportion  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  so  would  the  power  of 
Satan  rise.  It  was  told  you  here  that  Brother  Joseph 
warned  the  Elders  of  Israel  against  false  spirits.  It  was  re- 
vealed to  me  that  if  the  people  did  not  receive  the  spirit  of 


THE   POWER  OF  EVIL  HI 

revelation  that  God  had  sent  for  the  salvation  of  the  world, 
they  would  receive  false  spirits  and  would  have  revelation. 
Men  would  have  revelation,  women  would  have  revelation, 
the  priest  m  the  pulpit  and  the  deacon  under  the  pulpit 
would  have  revelation,  and  the  people  would  have  revela- 
tion enough  to  damn  the  whole  nation,  and  nations  of  them, 
unless  they  would  hearken  to  the  voice  of  God.  It  was  not 
only  revealed  to  Joseph  but  to  your  humble  servant,  that 
false  spirits  would  be  as  prevalent  and  as  common  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  as  we  now  see  them.  13  280 
No  man  gets  power  from  God  to  raise  disturbance  in  any 
Branch  of  the  Church.  Such  power  is  obtained  from  an 
evil  source.  9 :93. 

We  may  be  within  the  pale  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on 
earth,  yet  we  are  liable  to  be  overcome  of  evil  There  are 
many  spirits  who  have  gone  abroad  in  the  world,  and  men 
are  overcome  by  false  spirits,  and  led  astray  from  the  path 
of  truth  They  will  begin  by  doing  some  evil  thing  out  of 
sight,  and  say,  "0,  it  is  nothing,  it  is  a  mere  trifle,  and  the 
Lord  is  merciful  and  forgiveth  sin."  The  sins  which  are 
considered  trifles  lay  the  foundation  for  greater  evils,  and 
expose  men  to  be  tempted,  and  buffeted  by  Satan,  and  they 
will  be  overcome  little  by  little,  until  by  and  by  they  are 
overtaken  in  a  fault  which  is  more  aggravating  in  the  sight 
of  justi9e,  which  lays  the  foundation  for  another  trial  more 
severe,  and  to  be  buffeted  more  by  the  Devil,  for  they  lay 
themselves  more  liable  to  his  power.  2:121. 

Suppose  I  were  to  teach  you  a.  false  doctrine,  how  are 
you  to  know  it  if  you  do  not  possess  the  Spirit  of  God?  As 
it  is  written,  "The  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man  but  by 
the  Spirit  of  God."  18:72. 

Our  doctrine  is  right— -there  is  no  deception  in  it.    It 


112  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

requires  no  argument,  for  it  is  a  self-evident  fact  Still, 
when  we  meddle  with  that  which  we  know  nothing  about, 
we  are  apt  to  fall  into  error  and  differ;  but  we  have  so  much 
which  we  do  know,  and  think  about  and  talk  about,  that 
we  have  no  time  to  speculate  about  that  which  we  do  not 
know.  We  know  that  God  lives  10  327 

What  is  called  spirit-rapping,  spirit-knocking,  and  so 
forth,  is  produced  by  the  spirits  that  the  Lord  has  suffered 
to  communicate  to  people  on  the  earth,  and  make  them  be- 
lieve in  revelation.  7 .239 

When  we  go  into  the  world  we  find  quite  a  portion  of 
the  people  who  belong  to  a.class  called  Spiritualists,  They 
would  like  to  have  it  considered  that  "Mormonism"  is  noth- 
ing but  Spiritualism.  A  great  many  want  to  know  the  dif- 
ference between  the  two.  I  will  give  one  feature  of  the 
difference,  and  then  set  the  whole  scientific  world  to  work 
to  see  if  they  can  ever  bring  to  bear  theNg^^^gg  ffi 
Spiritualism  Take  all  who  are  called  SpintuSHRTand: s<**< 
if  they  can  produce  the  order  that  is  in  the  midst  of  thuj 
people.  Here  are  system,  order,  organization,  law,  rule,  and 
facts.  Now  see  if  they  can  produce  any  one  of  these  fea- 
tures. They  cannot  Why?  Because  their  system  is  from 
beneath,  while  ours  is  perfect  and  is  from  above ;  one  is  fiom 
God,  the  other  is  from  the  Devil,  that  is  all  the  difference 
13.266. 

Spiritualism  is  a  mass  of  confusion,  it  is  a  body  without 
parts  and  passions,  principle  or  power  13  266. 

There  is  evil  in  the  world,  and  there  is  also  good.  Was 
there  ever  a  counterfeit  without  a  true  com?  No  Is  there 
communication  from  God?  Yes  From  holy  angels ?  Yes, 
and  we  have  been  proclaiming  these  facts  during  nearly 
thirty  yeais.  Are  there  any  communications  from  evil 


THE   POWER  OF   EVIL  113 

spirits?  Yes;  and  the  Devil  is  making  the  people  believe 
very  strongly  in  revelations  from  the  spirit  world.  This  is 
called  Spiritualism,  and  it  is  said  that  thousands  of  spirits 
declare  that  "Mormonism"  is  true ;  but  what  do  that  class 
of  spirits  know  more  than  mortals?  Perhaps  a  little  more 
in  some  particulars  than  is  known  here,  but  it  is  only  a 
little  more.  They  are  subject  in  the  spirit  world  to  the 
same  powers  they  were  subject  to  here  7.240 

Mesmerism  is  an  inverted  truth;  it  originated  in  holy, 
good  and  righteous  principles,  which  have  been  inverted  by 
the  power  of  the  Devil  3:156 

The  principle  of  animal  magnetism  is  true,  but  wicked 
men  use  it  to  an  evil  purpose  Speaking  is  a  true  gift,  but 
I  can  speak  to  the  glory  of  God,  or  to  the  injury  of  his 
cause  and  to  my  condemnation,  as  I  please;  and  still  the 
gift  is  of  God.  The  gift  of  animal  magnetism  is  a  gift  of 
God,  but  wicked  men  use  it  to  promote  the  cause  of  the 
Devil,  and  that  is  precisely  the  difference  3 .370 

I  know  of  many  whom  mesmerism  has  led  out  of  this 
Church ,  they  would  see  the  sick  healed,  and  attribute  it  to 
the  power  of  God ,  would  fall  under  its  influence,  embrace 
and  practice  it,  and  thus  give  the  Devil  power  over  them  to 
lead  them  out  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  They  could  not  tell 
whether  it  was  the  power  of  God  or  the  power  of  the  Devil 
What  is  the  reason?  They  had  not  the  light  of  revelation 
within  them;  they  had  not  the  knowledge  of  God,  Are 
you  not  aware  how  easily  we  may  be  deceived?  3 .156 

There  are  many  Elders  in  this  house  who,  if  I  had  the 
power  to  mesmerize  that  vase  and  make  it  dance  on  that 
table,  would  say  that  it  was  done  by  the  power  of  God 
Who  could  tell  whether  it  was  done  by  the  power  of  God 
or  the  power  of  the  Devil?  No  person,  unless  he  had  the 


114  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

revelations  of  Jesus  Christ  within  him.  I  suppose  you  are 
ready  to  ask  Brother  Brigham  if  he  thinks  the  power  of 
the  Devil  could  make  the  vase  dance.  Yes,  and  could  take 
it  up  and  carry  it  out  doors,  just  as  easy  as  to  turn  up  a 
table  and  move  it  here  and  there,  or  to  cause  a  rap,  rap,  rap, 
or  to  bake  and  pass  around  pancakes,  or  to  get  hold  of  a 
person's  hand,  and  make  him  write  in  every  style  you  can 
think  of,  imitating  George  Washington's,  Benjamin  Frank- 
lin's, Joseph  Smith's,  and  other  autographs.  Can  you  tell 
whether  that  is  by  the  power  of  God  or  by  the  power  of  the 
Devil?  No,  unless  you  have  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ 
3  157. 

I  have  seen  the  effects  of  animal  magnetism,  or  some 
anomalous  sleep,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  many  a  time 
in  my  youth.  I  have  seen  persons  lie  on  the  benches,  on 
the  floor  of  the  meeting  house,  or  on  the  ground  at  their 
camp  meetings,  for  ten,  twenty,  and  thirty  minutes,  and  I 
do  not  know  but  an  hour,  and  not  a  particle  of  pulse  about 
them.  That  was  the  effect  of  what  I  call  animal  magnet- 
ism; they  called  it  the  power  of  God,  but  no  matter  what 
it  was,  I  used  to  think  that  I  should  like  to  ask  such  per- 
sons what  they  had  seen  in  their  trance  or  vision ;  and  when 
I  got  old  enough  and  dared  ask  them,  I  did  so.  I  have  said 
to  such  persons .  "Brother,  what  have  you  experienced ?" 
"Nothing."  "What  do  you  know  more  than  before  you  had 
this,  what  do  you  call  it— trance,  sleep  or  dream?  Do  you 
know  any  more  now  than  before  you  fell  to  the  earth?" 
"Nothing  more"  "Have  you  seen  any  person?"  "No." 
"Then  what  is  the  use  or  utility  of  your  falling  down  here 
m  the  dirt?"  I  could  not  see  it,  and  consequently  I  was  an 
infidel  to  this  But  I  said  then  as  I  say  now — "Show  me  a 
church  that  God  has  organized,  and  yoti  will  find  apostles 


THE    POWER   OF    EVIL  US 

to  rule,  govern,  control,  dictate,  and  give  counsel.  You  will 
fmd  prophets,  evangelists,  pastors,  teachers,  governments, 
helps,  and  diversities  of  tongues.  When  the  Church  and 
Kingdom  of  God  is  upon  the  earth  you  will  fmd  all  these 
things  and  you  will  also  hear  prophesying  therein  14-113 
Many  people  in  this  city  do  not  know  whether  astrology 
is  true  or  not,  whether  it  is  of  God  or  the  Devil ,  hence  they 
are  liable  to  be  deceived,  as  is  every  person  unless  they  have 
the  power  of  revelation  within  themselves.  If  there  are 
any  brethren  here  who  have  been  studying  astrology,  and 
they  were  called  upon  to  speak,  would  they  not  say  that 
they  believed  it  to  be  a  true  science?  They  would;  they 
testify  that  they  know  it  to  be  true.  But  what  does  it  do 
for  them?  It  leads  them  into  thousands  of  errors.  Does 
God  ever  lead  you  into  error  ?  Is  he  mistaken  when  he 
reveals?  No;  when  he  sets  you  to  make  calculations  and 
figures,  I  will  insure  you  that  every  sum  will  prove  and 
come  out  precisely  right.  The  Lord  does  not  deceive  peo- 
ple, but  astrology  and  mesmerism  do  lead  them  astray. 
How  many  deceptions  are  there  in  the  world  ?  Millions,  for 
a  great  many  spirits  have  gone  forth  into  the  world  to  de- 
ceive the  people.  Spirit  rappmgs  are  of  the  same  class 
3:156. 

Priestcraft— The  priests  are  angry  because  they  are 
afraid  that  their  religion  is  nothing  but  a  sandy  founda- 
tioned  fabric;  and  whenever  they  meditate  upon  the  subject 
and  humble  themselves,  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  finds 
its  way  to  their  hearts  and  convicts  them,  the  truth  then  is 
made  manifest  before  them,  and  they  begin  to  learn  the 
falsity  of  their  systems ;  and  when  that  spirit  leaves  them, 
they  become  angry.  "Mormonism"  is  declared  to  be  true 
by  hosts  of  witnesses,  and  this  makes  the  priests  angry ;  for 


116  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

this  Gospel  bears  its  own  weight  and  testimony,  and  they 
know  not  how  to  gainsay  it.  True,  I  have  aimed  to  point 
out  their  errors ;  but  it  is  not  you  or  me  that  they  are  op- 
posed to,  although  they  throw  their  darts  at  us ;  but  it  is 
the  spirit  of  conviction  that  goes  with  the  report  of  this 
work;  for  wherever  it  goes  it  strikes  conviction  to  the  heart, 
and  that  is  what  disturbs  the  priests  and  the  people.  5 :4-5 
Go  to  the  United  States,  into  Europe,  or  wherever  you 
can  come  across  men  who  have  been  in  the  midst  of  this 
people,  and  one  will  tell  you  that  we  are  a  poor,  ignorant, 
deluded  people;  the  next  will  tell  you  that  we  are  the  most 
industrious  and  intelligent  people  on  the  earth,  and  are 
destined  to  rise  to  eminence  as  a  nation,  and  spread,  and 
continue  to  spread,  until  we  revolutionize  the  whole  earth 
If  you  pass  on  to  the  third  man,  and  inquire  what  he  thinks 
of  the  "Mormons/5  he  will  say  they  are  fools,  duped  and 
led  astray  by  Joe  Smith,  who  was  a  knave,  and  a  false 
prophet,  and  a  money  digger.  Why  is  all  this?  It  is  be- 
cause there  is  a  spirit  in  man.  And  when  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  preached  on  the  earth,  and  the  Kingdom  of 
God  is  established,  there  is  also  a  spirit  in  these  things,  and 
an  almighty  spirit  too.  When  these  two  spirits  come  in 
contact  one  with  the  other,  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  reflects 
light  upon  the  spirit  which  God  has  placed  in  man,  and 
wakes  him  up  to  a  consciousness  of  his  true  state,  which 
makes  him  afraid  he  will  be  condemned,  for  he  perceives 
at  once  that  "Mormonism"  is  true.  "Our  craft  is  in  danger," 
is  the  first  thought  that  strikes  the  wicked  and  dishonest 
of  mankind,  when  the  light  of  truth  shines  upon  them  Say 
they,  "If  these  people  called  Latter-day  Saints  are  correct 
in  their  views,  the  whole  world  must  be  wrong,  and  what 
will  become  of  our  time-honored  institutions,  and  ojE  our 


THE   POWER   OF    EVIL  117 

influence,  which  we  have  swayed  successfully  over  the 
minds  of  the  people  for  ages.  This  Mormonism  must  be 
put  down."  So  priestcraft  presents  a  bold  and  extended 
front  against  the  truth.  1 :188. 

It  is  not  in  my  being  called  a  Quaker,  a  Methodist  or  a 
"Mormon"  that  is  the  true  cause  of  contention  between 
these  two  great  powers — Christ  and  Belial ;  but  it  is  in  the 
fact  that  God  has  established  his  Kingdom  upon  the  earth 
and  restored  the  holy  Priesthood  which  gives  men  author- 
ity and  power  to  administer  in  his  name.  11 :238. 

Instead  of  seeking  unto  the  Lord  for  wisdom,  they  seek 
unto  vain  philosophy  and  the  deceit  and  traditions  of  men, 
which  are  after  the  rudiments  of  the  world  and  not  after 
Christ.  They  are  led  by  their  own  imaginations  and  by  the 
dictates  of  their  selfish  will,  which  will  lead  them  in  the  end 
to  miss  the  object  of  their  pursuit.  10:209. 

Sin  and  Wickedness — God  permits  sin,"  or  it  could  not 
be  here.  13:151. 

The  law  is  for  the  transgressor.    15:161. 

All  evil  is  from  beneath,  while  all  that  is  good  is  from 
God.  13:267. 

Aside  from  the  revelations  in  our  day,  there  is  not 
knowledge  enough  to  tell  you  why  God  suffered  sin  to  come 
into  the  world.  You  have  been  told  the  reason  why—that 
all  intelligence  must  prove  facts  by  their  opposite.  6:144. 

I  wish  you  to  understand  that  sin  is  not  an  attribute  in 
the  nature  of  man,  but  it  is  an  inversion  of  the  attributes 
God  has  placed  in  him.  Righteousness  tends  to  an  eternal 
duration  of  organized  intelligence,  while  sin  bringeth  to 
pass  their  dissolution.  10:251. 

Sin  has  come  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin  I  fre- 
quently ask  myself  the  question :  Was  there  any  necessity 


118  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

for  sin  to  enter  the  world?  Most  assuredly  there  was,  ac- 
cording to  my  understanding  and  reasoning  powers  Did 
I  not  know  the  evil  I  could  never  know  the  good ;  had  I  not 
seen  the  light  I  should  never  be  able  to  comprehend  what 
darkness  is  Had  I  never  tried  to  see  and  behold  a  thing 
in  darkness  I  could  not  understand  the  beauty  and  glory 
of  the  light.  If  I  had  never  tasted  the  bitter  or  the  sour 
how  could  I  define  or  describe  the  sweet?  13.59. 

The  annoyances,  difficulties,  errors,  perplexities,  sor- 
rows, and  troubles  of  this  life,  from  first  to  last,  are  in  con- 
sequence of  sin  being  in  the  world.  For  me  to  say  it  is  not 
right  for  sin  to  be  in  the  world,  or  if  we,  as  intelligent 
beings,  come  to  the  conclusion  that  sin  entered  the  world 
by  chance,  through  some  mistake,  and  it  was  contrary  to 
the  design  of  him  who  created  us,  we  should  err.  14  98 

Let  a  Saint  diverge  from  the  path  of  truth  and  rectitude, 
in  the  least,  no  matter  in  what,  it  may  be  in  a  deal  with  his 
neighbor,  in  lusting  after  that  which  is  not  in  his  possession, 
in  neglecting  his  duty,  in  having  an  over  anxiety  for  some- 
thing he  should  not  be  anxious  about,  in  being  a  little  dis- 
trustful with  regard  to  the  providences  of  God,  in  enter- 
taining a  misgiving  in  his  heart  and  feeling  with  regard  to 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  towards  him,  and  his  mind  will  begin 
to  be  darkened  3 .222. 

The  law  of  God  is  pointed  against  sin  and  iniquity,  and 
where  they  appear  it  is  unbending  in  its  nature  and  must, 
sooner  or  later,  hold  sovereign  rule  against  them,  or  righte- 
ousness could  never  prevail.  3  256. 

Paul  asks,  "Shall  we  sin  that  righteousness  may 
abound?"  No,  there  is  plenty  of  sin  without  your  sinning 
We  can  have  all  the  experience  we  need,  without  sinning 
ourselves,  therefore  we  will  not  sin  that  good  may  come, 


THE    POWER   OF    EVIL  119 

we  will  not  transgress  the  law  of  God  that  we  may  know 
the  opposite.  There  is  no  necessity  for  such  a  course,  for 
the  world  is  full  of  transgression,  and  this  people  need  not 
mingle  up  with  it.  3 :224. 

It  is  as  manly  and  as  praiseworthy  for  an  individual  to 
make  the  choice  to  do  good,  work  righteousness  and  love 
and  serve  God — it  is  more  noble,  than  to  choose  the  down- 
ward road.  One  or  the  other  will  be  the  choice  of  every  in- 
dividual Do  not  trifle  with  evil,  or  you  will  be  overcome 
by  it  before  you  know.  12:231, 

Many  imbibe  the  idea  that  they  are  capable  of  leading 
out  in  teaching  principles  that  never  have  been  taught. 
They  are  not  aware  that  the  moment  they  give  way  to  this 
hallucination  the  Devil  has  power  over  them  to  lead  them 
onto  unholy  ground;  though  this  is  a  lesson  which  they 
ought  to  have  learned  long  ago,  yet  it  is  one  that  was 
learned  by  but  few  in  the  days  of  Joseph.  3  318. 

It  is  far  better  to  die  in  a  good  cause  than  to  live  in  a 
bad  one;  it  is  better  to  die  doing  good  than  to  live  doing 
evil.  11:134. 

Sin  is  in  the  world,  but  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should 
sin,  because  sin  is  in  the  world ;  but,  to  the  contrary,  it  is 
necessary  that  we  should  resist  sin,  and  for  this  purpose  is 
sin  necessary.  Sin  exists  in  all  the  eternities.  Sin  is  co- 
eternal  with  righteousness,  for  it  must  needs  be  that  there 
is  an  opposition  in  all  things.  10:2 

Look  at  ourselves— run  over  our  own  experience,  and 
we  shall  discover  that  ourselves,  our  neighbors,  our  friends, 
our  acquaintances,  and  all  people  do  not  always  know  when 
they  are  happy.  In  other  words,  if  you  could  crowd  an 
individual  or  a  community  into  heaven  without  experience, 
it  would  be  no  enjoyment  to  them  They  must  know  the 


120  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

opposite ;  they  must  know  how  to  contrast,  in  order  to  prize 
and  appreciate  the  comfort  and  happiness,  the  joy  and  the 
bliss  they  are  actually  in  possession  of.  5.294 

There  is  a  clear  distinction  made  between  the  sinner  and 
the  ungodly.  A  person  to  be  ungodly  must  have  known 
godliness,  and  must  have  a  knowledge  of  what  the  Lord  re- 
quires concerning  him.  There  are  many  in  the  midst  of 
this  people  who  believe  the  Gospel  with  all  their  hearts, 
but  yet  do  wickedly ;  this  makes  them  ungodly.  2  258 

I  would  not  associate  with  those  who  blaspheme  the 
name  of  God,  nor  would  I  let  my  family  associate  with 
them.  By  this  you  may  know  whether  you  are  in  the  path 
that  leads  to-  life  and  salvation  If  you  can  hear  the  name 
of  the  Deity  lightly  spoken  of  and  blasphemed,  and  not  be 
shocked  at  it,  you  may  know  that  you  are  not  in  that  path 
12  219-220 

Improvement  belongs  to  the  spirit  and  plan  of  the 
heavens.  To  improve  in  our  minds,  to  increase  in  wisdom, 
knowledge  and  understanding,  to  gather  every  item  of 
knowledge  that  we  can  in  mechanism  and  in  science  of 
every  description,  respecting  the  earth,  the  object  of  the 
organization  of  the  earth,  the  heavens,  the  heavenly  bodies 
—all  this  is  of  Heaven,  it  is  from  God ,  but  when  a  person 
or  a  people  begin  to  dwindle,  to  lessen  and  to  take  the 
downward  course,  they  are  going  from  heaven  and  heavenly 
things  16 :65. 

Many  of  us  have  been  taught  the  doctrine  of  total  de- 
pravity—that man  is  not  naturally  inclined  to  do  good.  I 
am  satisfied  that  he  is  more  inclined  to  do  right  than  to 
do  wrong.  There  is  a  greater  power  within  him  to  shun 
evil  and  perform  good,  than  to  do  the  opposite.  9 :247. 

The  wickedness  of  the  children  of  men  is  what  influences 


THE    POWER   OF    EVIL  121 

them  to  fear.  They  are  not  afraid  of  their  own  laws,  be- 
cause they  originated  from  themselves ;  they  can  manage 
them  and  blot  them  out  of  existence  whenever  they  wish 
But  when  that  which  is  said  to  be  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or 
the  theocracy  of  aeaven,  is  upon  the  earth,  many  of  the  in- 
habitants thereof  tremble,  and  fear  that  it  is  not  correct, 
7  148. 

How  much  does  it  take  to  prepare  a  man,  or  woman,  or 
any  being,  to  become  angels  to  the  Devil,  to  suffer  with  him 
to  all  eternity?  Just  as  much,  as  it  does  to  prepare  a  man 
to  go  into  the  celestial  kingdom,  into  the  presence  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  and  to  be  made  an  heir  to  his  King- 
dom, and  all  his  glory,  and  be  crowned  with  crowns  of 
glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  lives.  3  *93. 

Let  not  your  feelings  be  afflicted  or  in  anywise  trou- 
bled by  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  wicked,  for  they  are 
in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty,  and  he  will  dispose  of  indi- 
viduals and  nations  as  seemeth  him  good.  He  must  give 
them  an  opportunity  to  receive  the  truth  and  prepare 
themselves  to  dwell  eternally  with  him,  or  to  reject  it  and 
prepare  themselves  to  be  cut  down  as  cumberers  of  the 
ground,  suffer  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty,  and  perish  and 
be  wasted  away  until  they  will  be  known  no  more  Seek 
for  that  which  will  endure  7 :270 

It  is  not  right,  I  will  say,  for  people  to  know  the  truth 
and  live  in  disobedience  to  it;  it  is  not  right  for  them  to 
understand  the  ways  and  providences  of  God  as  they  are 
dealt  out  to  the  people  on  the  earth,  when  they  live  and  are 
determined  to  live  in  violation  of  every  commandment  and 
law  of  God;  and  because  they  do  so  live,  ignorance  covers 
them  as  with  a  mantle,  shuts  out  the  light  of  truth  from 
them,  and  keeps  them  in  darkness ;  and  if  the  light  were  to 


122  DISCOURSES    OF   BRJGHAM   YOUNG 

shine  upon  them,  as  it  does  now  and  as  it  did  in  the  days 
of  the  Apostles,  would  they  receive  it?  No,  they  would 
not.  Light  has  come  into  the  world,  but  the  wicked  choose 
darkness  rather  than  light  Why?  It  was  told  in  days  of 
old  that  their  deeds  were  evil  That  is  the  fact  today— 
"They  choose  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  are  evil,"  and  their  hearts  are  fully  set  in  them  to  do 
evil  15-64. 

Let  the  wicked  say  what  they  please,  for  their  breath  is 
m  their  nostrils,  and  all  their  glory  is  like  the  grass  and 
the  flower  of  the  grass  that  passeth  away.  They  are  here 
but  for  a  moment,  and  soon  those  who  know  them  now 
will  know  them  no  more  for  ever.  They  will  soon  be  as 
though  they  had  not  been  upon  the  earth  7*270 

The  hand  of  the  Almighty  is  over  the  wicked,  and  he 
handles  them  according  to  his  good  pleasure,  as  he  does 
the  Saints  His  hand  is  over  us,  and  his  hand  is  over  them 
But  there  is  a  thick  mist  cast  before  their  eyes,  so  they  do 
not  discern  the  truth  of  "Mormonism  "  Do  you  wonder 
that  they  are  mad,  when  they  see  the  progress  of  truth?  I 
do  not.  4  38. 

I  never  believed  that  the  righteous  have  ever  suffered  as 
much  as  the  wicked.  11  274 

The  wicked  do  not  know  how  to  enjoy  life,  but  the 
closer  we  live  to  God  the  better  we  know  and  understand 
how  to  enjoy  it.  Live  so  that  you  can  enjoy  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  continually.  10 .336. 

Temptation — I  am  happy,  brethren,  for  the  privilege  of 
having  temptation  A  great  many  people  have  thought 
that  in  my  life  I  was  not  tempted  like  other  men.  I  tell 
them  if  I  am  it  is  none  of  their  business ;  it  is  nothing  to 
them  Some  say,  "Brother  Brigham,  you  slide  along  and 


'HIE    POWER    OF    EVIL  123 

the  Devil  lets  you  alone  "  If  I  have  battles'  with  him,  I  can 
overcome  him  single  handed  quicker  than  to  call  in  my 
neighbors  to  help  me.  If  I  am  tempted  to  speak  an  evil 
word,  I  will  keep  my  lips  locked  together.  Says  one,  "I  do 
not  know  about  that,  that  would  be  smothering  up  bad 
feelings,  I  am  wonderfully  tried  about  my  neighbor,  he  has 
done  wrong,  he  has  abused  me  and  I  feel  dreadful  bad 
about  it.  Had  I  not  better  let  it  out  than  to  keep  it  rankling 
within  me  ?"  No.  I  will  keep  bad  feelings  under  and  actu- 
ally smother  them  to  death,  then  they  are  gone.  But  as  sure 
as  I  let  them  out  they  will  live  and  afflict  me.  If  I  smother 
them  in  myself,  if  I  actually  choke  them  to  death,  destroy 
the  life,  the  power,  and  vigor  thereof,  they  will  pass  off  and 
leave  me  clear  of  fault,  and  pure,  so  far  as  that  is  con- 
cerned ;  and  no  man  or  woman  on  earth  knows  that  I  have 
ever  been  tempted  to  indulge  in  wicked  feelings.  Keep 
them  to  yourselves 

If  you  feel  evil,  keep  it  to  yourselves  until  you  overcome 
that  evil  principle  This  is  what  I  call  resisting  the  Devil, 
and  he  flees  from  me.  I  strive  not  to  speak  evil,  not  to 
feel  evil,  and  if  I  do,  to  keep  it  to  myself  until  it  is  gone 
from  me,  and  not  let  it  pass  my  lips.  3  195, 

Thousands  of  temptations  assail,  and  you  make  a  miss 
here  and  a  slip  there,  and  say  that  you  have  not  lived  up 
to  all  the  knowledge  you  have.  True;  but  often  it  is  a 
marvel  to  me  that  you  have  lived  up  to  so  much  as  you 
have,  considering  the  power  of  the  enemy  upon  the  earth. 
Few  that  have  ever  lived  have  fully  understood  that  power 
I  do  not  fully  comprehend  the  awful  power  and  influence 
Satan  has  upon  the  earth,  but  I  understand  enough  to  know 
thai  it  is  a  marvel  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  as  good  as 
they  are  8:285 


124  ^  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

It  is  necessary  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  in  the  econ- 
omy of  heaven,  that  we  should  be  tried  and  tempted  in  all 
things,  in  order  to  prove  ourselves  and  prepare  ourselves 
to  enjoy  that  eternal  life  that  is  prepared  for  the  just.  The 
time  will  be  when  people  will  not  be  tempted  as  they  now 
are— when  there  will  be  no  Tempter  upon  the  earth.  The 
knowledge  and  intelligence  that  will  be  diffused  among  the 
people  will  enable  them  to  live  a  time  and  a  season  without 
the  Tempter.  But  we  live  in  a  day  when  the  power  and 
rule  of  that  evil  principle  is  more  excessive  upon  the  earth 
than  it  ever  has  been  7  268. 

When  we  neglect  any  one  of  these  duties,  the  enemy 
says,  f(I  have  made  so  much  ground."  If  the  Devil  can  in- 
duce an  Elder  to  drink  a  little,  he  is  not  satisfied  with  this 
triumph,  but  says  to  him,  "Your  wife  and  children  know  it, 
don't  pray  tonight."  The  Elder  says  to  his  family,  "I  feel 
tired  tonight,  we  won't  have  prayers  "  The  enemy  says,  "I 
have  gained  another  point "  You  indulge  still  further,  and 
you  will  find  other  excuses.  Your  head  is  not  right,  your 
heart  is  not  right,  your  conscience  is  not  right,  and  you  re- 
tire again  without  praying.  By  and  by,  you  begin  to  doubt 
something  the  Lord  has  revealed  to  us,  and  it  is  not  long 
before  such  a  one  is  led  away  captive  of  the  Devil  18:216 

When  you  are  tempted  to  do  wrong,  do  not  stop  one 
moment -to  argue,  but  tell  Mr.  Devil  to  walk  out  of  your 
barn.  3:359. 

When  the  Devil  cannot  overcome  an  individual  through 
temptation  to  commit  wickedness,  when  he  sees  that  a  per- 
son is  determined  to  walk  in  the  line  and  travel  straight 
forward  into  the  celestial  kingdom,  he  will  adopt  a  course 
of  flattery,  will  strive  to  exercise  a  pleasing  influence  and 
move  along  smoothly  with  him,  and  when  he  sees  an  oppor- 


THE   POWER   OF   EVIL  125 

tunity  he  will  try  to  turn  him  out  of  the  way,  if  it  is  only  to 
the  extent  of  a  hair's  breadth.    3 :318. 

Do  not  suppose  that  we  shall  ever  in  the  flesh  be  free 
from  temptations  to  sin.  Some  suppose  that  they  can  in 
the  flesh  be  sanctified,  body  and  spirit,  and  become  so  pure 
that  they  will  never  again  feel  the  effects  of  the  power  of 
th'e  adversary  of  truth.  Were  it  possible  for  a  person  to 
attain  to  this  degree  of  perfection  in  the  flesh,  he  could  not 
die,  neither  remain  in  a  world  where  sin  predominates.  Sin 
has  entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin.  I  think  we 
shall  more  or  less  feel  the  effects  of  sin  so  long  as  we  live, 
and  finally  have  to  pass  the  ordeals  of  death.  Do  not  under- 
stand that  in  the  flesh  we  shall  ever  overcome  the  power  of 
sin  to  such  a  degree  that  we  shall  never  taste  death.  I  do 
not  look  for  any  such  thing,  though  what  we  call  death,  or 
laying  down  this  body,  is  only  the  door  to  a  higher  state  of 
life  for  the  faithful.  If  we  live  our  religion  it  will  enable  us 
to  so  overcome  sin  that  it  will  not  reign  in  our  mortal 
bodies  but  will  become  subject  to  us,  and  the  world  and 
its  fulness  will  become  our  servant  instead  of  our  master, 
10:173. 

As  soon  as  a  man  hears  the  Gospel  preached  and  be- 
comes convinced  of  its  truthfulness,  he  is  tempted  of  the 
Devil,  who,  whenever  there  is  an  opportunity,  suggests 
doubt  for  his  reflection.  If  he  entertain  these  doubting  in- 
fluences it  is  not  long  before  what  he  believed  true  becomes 
a  matter  of  conjecture.  Another  may  receive  the  Gospel, 
travel  and  preach  it  faithfully,  feeling  in  his  heart  to  ex- 
claim, "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,"  having  no  other  mo- 
tive than  to  do  good  to  his  fellow  beings.  By  and  by  he 
perhaps  is  left  to  himself,  saying— "I  wonder  if  I  really  was 


126  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

right?"  This  single  doubt  is  perhaps  the  beginning  of  his 
apostasy  from  the  Church  18  215. 

Serve  God  according  to  the  best  knowledge  you  have, 
and  lay  down  and  sleep  quietly ,  and  when  the  Devil  comes 
along  and  says,  "You  are  not  a  very  good  Saint,  you  might 
enjoy  greater  blessings  and  more  of  the  power  of  God,  and 
have  the  vision  of  your  mind  opened,  if  you  would  live  up 
to  your  privileges,"  tell  him  to  leave,  that  you  have  long 
ago  forsaken  his  ranks  and  enlisted  in  the  army  of  Jesus, 
who  is  your  captain,  and  that  you  want  no  more  of  the 
Devi!  4  270 

When  temptations  come  to  you,  be  humble  and  faith- 
ful, and  determined  that  you  will  overcome,  and  you  will 
receive  a  deliverance,  and  continue  faithful,  having  the 
promise  of  receiving  blessings  16.164. 

Apostasy — It  is  most  astonishing  to  every  principle  of 
intelligence  that  any  man  or  woman  will  close  their  eyes 
upon  eternal  things  after  they  have  been  made  acquainted 
with  them,  and  let  the  gay  things  of  this  world,  the  lusts  of 
the  eye,  and  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  entangle  their  minds  and 
draw  them  one  hair's  breadth  from  the  principles  of  life 
4:59 

If  the  candle  of  the  Almighty  does  not  shine  from  this 
place,  you  need  not  seek  for  light  anywhere  else  4 '93. 

To  know  the  truth  of  my  testimony  he  must  have  the 
visions  and  revelations  of  God  for  himself.  And  when  he 
gets  them,  and  turns  aside  becoming  a  traitor  to  the  cause 
of  righteousness,  the  wrath  of  God  will  beat  upon  him,  and 
the  vengeance  of  the  Almighty  will  be  heavy  upon  him. 
2:140. 

It  was  said  here  this  morning  that  no  person  ever  apos- 
tatized, without  actual  transgression  Omission  of  duty 


THE    POWER   OF   EVIL  127 

leads  to  commission.  We  want  to  live  so  as  to  have  the 
Spirit  every  day,  every  hour  of  the  day,  every  minute  of 
the  day,  and  every  Latter-day  Saint  is  entitled  to  the  Spirit 
of  God,  to  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  lead  him  in  his 
individual  duties,  "  10-296. 

He  will  make  false  prophecies,  yet  he  will  do  it  by  the 
spirit  of  prophecy;  he  will  feel  that  he  is  a  prophet  and 
can  prophesy,  but  he  does  it  by  another  spirit  and  power 
than  that  which  was  given  him  of  the  Lord.  He  uses  the 
gift  as  much  as  you  and  I  use  ours  3  364. 

Let  a  man  or  woman  who  has  received  much  of  the 
power  of  God,  visions  and  revelations,  turn  away  from  the 
holy  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and  it  seems  that  their 
senses  are  taken  from  them,  their  understanding  and  judg- 
ment in  righteousness  are  taken  away,  they  go  into  dark- 
ness, and  become  like  a  blind  person  who  gropes  by  the 
wall.  2301 

The  person  that  forsakes  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  will  find  himself  ruined  for  time  and  eternity.  How 
are  they  looked  upon  who  have  received  the  Spirit  of  the 
Gospel  and  forsaken  it?  With  a  few  exceptions,  they 
are  despised  by  the  good  and  wise  among  men,  by  the  noble 
and  ignoble ;  all  despise  them,  and  they  are  in  a  most  miser- 
able condition.  7  146. 

Whenever  there  is  a  disposition  manifested  in  any  of 
the  members  of  this  Church  to  question  the  right  of  the 
President  of  the  whole  Church  to  direct  in  all  things,  you 
see  manifested  evidences  of  apostasy— of  a  spirit  which,  if 
encouraged,  will  lead  to  a  separation  from  the  Church  and  to 
final  destruction;  wherever  there  is  a  disposition  to  operate 
against  any  legally  appointed  .officer  of  this  Kingdom,  no 
matter  in  what  capacity  he  is  called  to  act,  if  persisted  m, 


128  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

it  will  be  followed  by  the  same  results,  they  will  "walk 
after  the  flesh  in  the  lust  of  uncleanness,  and  despise  gov- 
ernment Presumptuous  are  they,  self-willed ,  they  are  not 
afraid  to  speak  evil  of  dignities  '*  11 .136 

When  a  man  begins  to  find  fault,  inquiring  in  regard  to 
this,  that,  and  the  other,  saying,  "Does  this  or  that  look  as 
though  the  Lord  dictated  it?"  you  may  know  that  that  per- 
son has  more  or  less  of  the  spirit  of  apostasy  Every  man 
m  this  Kingdom,  or  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  who  is  seek- 
ing with  all  his  heart  to  save  himself,  has  as  much  to  do  as 
he  can  conveniently  attend  to,  without  calling  in  question 
that  which  does  not  belong  to  him.  If  he  succeeds  in  sav- 
ing himself,  it  has  well  occupied  his  time  and  attention 
See  to  it  that  you  are  right  yourselves;  see  that  sins  and 
folly  do  not  manifest  themselves  with  the  rising  sun.  I 
repeat  that  it  is  as  much  as  any  one  can  well  do  to  take  care 
of  himself  by  performing  every  duty  that  pertains  to  his 
temporal  and  eternal  welfare  8-12. 

What  is  that  wilier-  turns  people  away  from  this  Church  ? 
Very  trifling  affairs  are  generally  the  commencement  of 
their  divergence  from  the  right  path.  If  we  follow  a  com- 
pass, the  needle  of  which  does  not  point  correctly,  a  very 
slight  deviation  in  the  beginning  will  lead  us,  when  we  have 
traveled  some  distance,  far  to  one  side  of  the  true  point  for 
which  we  are  aiming.  12:125, 

When  men  lose  the  spirit  of  the  work  in  which  we  are 
engaged,  they  become  infidel  in  their  feelings.  They  say 
that  they  do  not  know  whether  the  Bible  is  true,  whether 
the  Book  of  Mt>rmon  is  true,  nor  about  new  revelations,  nor 
whether  there  is  a  God  or  not.  When  they  lose  the  spirit 
of  this  work,  they  lose  the  knowledge  of  the  things  of  God 
in  time  and  in  eternity ;  all  is  lost  to  them.  8 ,316. 


THE    POWER  OF    EVIL  129 

Those  who  leave  the  Church  are  like  a  feather  blown  to 
and  fro  in  the  air.  They  know  not  whither  they  are  going , 
they  do  not  understand  anything  about  their  own  exist- 
ence ;  their  faith,  judgment  and  the  operation  of  their  minds 
are  as  unstable  as  the  movements  of  the  feather  floating  in 
the  air.  We  have  not  anything  to  cling  to,  only  faith  in 
the  Gospel  15.136. 

If  the  people  would  live  their  religion,  there  would  be  no 
apostasy  and  we  would  hear  no  complaining  or  fault- 
finding. If  the  people  were  hungry  for  the  words  of  eternal 
life,  and  their  whole  souls  even  centered  on  the  building  up 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  every  heart  and  hand  would  be 
ready  and  willing  and  the  work  would  move  forward 
mightily  and  we  would  advance  as  we  should  do.  13 :153. 

Men  begin  to  apostatize  by  taking  to  themselves 
strength,  by  hearkening  to  the  whisperings  of  the  enemy 
who  leads  them  astray  little  by  little,  until  they  gather  to 
themselves  that  which  they  call  the  wisdom  of  man ;  then 
they  begin  to  depart  from  God,  and  their  minds  become  con- 
tused. 18:231. 

You  have  known  men  who,  while  in  the  Church,  were 
active,  quick  and  full  of  intelligence;  but  after  they  have 
left  the  Church,  they  have  become  contracted  in  their  under- 
standings, they  have  become  darkened  in  their  minds  and 
everything  has  become  a  mystery  to  them,  and  in  regard  to 
the  things  of  God,  they  have  become  like  the  rest  of  the 
world,  who  think,  hope  and  pray  that  such  and  such  things 
may  be  so,  but  they  do  not  know  the  least  about  it.  This  is 
precisely  the  position  of  those  who  leave  this  Church ;  they 
go  into  the  dark,  they  are  not  able  to  judge,  conceive  or 
comprehend  things  as  they  are.  They  are  like  the  drunken 
man — he  thinks  that  everybody  is  the  worse  for  liquor  but 
himself,  and  he  is  the  only  sober  man  in  the  neighborhood 


130  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

The  apostates  think  that  everybody  is  wrong  but  them- 
selves. 16 :65. 

You  hear  many  say,  "I  am  a  Latter-day  Saint,  and  I 
never  will  apostatize" ,  "I  am  a  Latter-day  Saint,  and  shall 
be  to  the  day  of  my  death."  I  never  make  such  declara- 
tions, and  never  shall.  I  think  I  have  learned  ,that  of  my- 
self I  have  no  power,  but  my  system  is  organized  to  in- 
crease in  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  power,  getting  a  little 
here  and  a  little  there.  But  when  I  am' left  to  myself,  I 
have  no  power,  and  my  wisdom  is  foolishness ,  then  I  cling 
close  to  the  Lord,  and  I  have  power  in  his  name.  I  think 
I  have  learned  the  Gospel  so  as  to  know,  that  in  and  of  my- 
self I  am  nothing.  1  337. 

If  you  want  to  see  the  principle  of  devilism  to  perfec- 
tion, hunt  among  those  who  have  once  enjoyed  the  faith  of 
the  holy  Gospel  and  then  forsaken  their  religion  We  have 
the  best  and  the  worst.  Why  the  worst?  Because  the 
Devil  prompts  men  and  women  of  the  meanest  and  lowest 
grade  to  embrace  the  Gospel  and  get  a  foothold  in  the  King- 
dom of  God  to  destroy  it.  7:145. 

People  do,  however,  leave  this  Church,  but  they  leave  it 
because  they  get  into  darkness,  and  the  very  day  they  con- 
clude that  there  should  be  a  democratic  vote,  or  in  other 
wordsj  that  we  should  have  two  candidates  for  the  pre- 
siding Priesthood  in  the  midst  of  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
they  conclude  to  be  apostates.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
confusion,  division,  strife,  animosity,  hatred,  malice,  or  two 
sides  to  the  question  in  the  house  of  God ;  there  is  but  one 
side  to  the  question  there.  14 :92. 

If  the  Saints  neglect  to  pray,  and  violate  the  day  that  is 
set  apart  for  the  worship  of  God,  they  will  lose  his  Spirit. 
If  a  man  shall  suffer  himself  to  be  overcome  with  anger, 
and  curse  and  swear,  taking  the  name  of  the  Deity  in 


THE  POWER  OF   EVIL  131 

he  cannot  retain  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  short,  if  a  man  shall 
do  anything  which  he  knows  to  be  wrong,  and  repenteth 
not,  he  cannot  enjoy  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  will  walk  in  dark- 
ness and  ultimately  deny  the  faith.  11 :134. 

What  have  the  Latter-day  Saints  got  to  apostatize  from? 
Everything  that  there  is  good,  pure,  holy,  God-like,  exalting, 
ennobling,  extending  the  ideas,  the  capacities  of  the  intelli- 
gent beings  that  our  Heavenly  Father  has  brought  forth 
upon  this  earth.  What  will  they  receive  in  exchange?  I 
can  comprehend  it  in  a  very  few  words.  These  would  be 
the  words  that  I  should  use :  death,  hell  and  the  grave.  That 
is  what  they  will  get  in  exchange.  We  may  go  into  the 
particulars  of  that  which  they  experience.  They  experi- 
ence darkness,  ignorance,  doubt,  pain,  sorrow,  grief,  mourn- 
ing, unhappiness;  no  person  to  condole  with  in  the  hour 
of  trouble,  no  arm  to  lean  upon  in  the  day  of  calamity,  no 
eye  to  pity  when  they  are  forlorn  and  cast  down;  and  I 
comprehend  it  by  saying  death,  hell  and  the  grave.  This  is 
what  they  will  get  in  exchange  for  their  apostasy  from  the 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  16 :160. 

Why  do  people  apostatize?  You  know  we  are  on  the 
"Old  Ship  Zion."  We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean.  A 
storm  comes  on,  and,  as  sailors  say,  she  labors  very  hard. 
"I  am  not  going  to  stay  here,"  says  one;  "I  don't  believe 
this  is  the  'Ship  Zion.' "  "But  we  are  in  the  midst  of  the 
ocean."  "I  don't  care,  I  am  not  going  to  stay  here."  Off 
goes  the  coat,  and  he  jumps  overboard.  Will  he  not  be 
drowned?  Yes.  So  with  those  who  leave  this  Church.  It 
is  the  "Old  Ship  Zion,"  let  us  stay  in  it.  10:295. 

Will  there  still  be  apostasy?  Yes,  brethren  and  sisters, 
you  may  expect  that  people  will  come  into  the  Church  arid 
then  apostatize.  You  may  expect  that  some  people  will  run 
well  for  a  season,  and  then  fall  out  by  the  way.  2 :250, 


132  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

Many  receive  the  Gospel  because  they  know  it  is  true , 
they  are  convinced  m  their  judgment  that  it  is  true ;  strong 
argument  overpowers  them,  and  they  are  rationally  com- 
pelled to  admit  the  Gospel  to  be  true  upon  fair  reasoning 
They  yield  to  it,  and  obey  its  first  principles,  but  never 
seek  to  be  enlightened  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
such  ones  frequently  step  out  of  the  way  2  '250. 

What  has  already  become  of  those  who,  during  our 
short  existence  as  a  Church,  have  come  out  against  us, 
politically,  judicially,  or  otherwise,  those  who  have  raised 
their  puny  arms  to  destroy  the  Kingdom  of  God  from  the 
earth!  They  have  become  powerless,  like  the  dew  before 
the  rising  sun ;  they  have  vanished  away,  their  names  are 
almost  forgotten;  and  if  this  is  not  the  case  with  all,  it 
will  be  18  232 

One  of  the  first  steps  to  apostasy  is  to  find  fault  with 
your  Bishop ,  and  when  that  is  done,  unless  repented  of,  a 
second  step  is  soon  taken,  and  by  and  by  the  person  is  cut 
off  from  the  Church,  and  that  is  the  end  of  it  Will  you 
allow  yourselves  to  find  fault  with  your  Bishop?  No;  but 
come  to  me,  go  to  the  High  Council,  or  to  the  President 
of  the  Stake,  and  ascertain  whether  your  Bishop  is  doing 
wrong,  before  you  find  fault  and  suffer  yourselves  to  speak 
against  a  presiding  officer.  9.141, 

God  is  at  the  helm  of  this  great  ship,  and  that  makes  me 
feel  good.  When  I  think  about  the  world,  and  the  enemies 
of  the  cause  of  God,  I  care  no  more  about  them  than  I  do 
for  a  parcel  of  mosquitoes  All  hell  may  howl,  and  they 
may  run  up  and  down  the  earth  and  seek  whom  they  may 
destroy,  but  they  cannot  move  the  faithful  and  pure  in 
heart.  Let  those  apostatize  who  wish  to,  but  God  will  save 
all  who  are  determined  to  be  saved.  4  111, 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  LAW  OF  ETERNAL  PROGRESSION 

Object  of  Mortal  Life— This  life  is  worth  as  much  to 
us  as  any  life  in  the  eternities  of  the  Gods.  9:170. 

The  object  of  this  existence  is  to  learn,  which  we  can 
only  do  a  little  at  a  time.  9:167. 

What  are  we  here  for?  To  learn  to  enjoy  more,  and  to 
increase  in  knowledge  and  in  experience.  14:228. 

The  whole  mortal  existence  of  man  is  neither  more  nor 
less  than  a  preparatory  state  given  to  finite  beings,  a  space 
wherein  they  may  improve  themselves  for  a  higher  state  of 
being.  1 :334. 

We  are  placed  on  this  earth  to  prove  whether  we  are 
worthy  to  go  into  the  celestial  world,  the  terrestrial,  or  the 
telestial,  or  to  hell,  or  to  any  other  kingdom,  or  place,  and 
we  have  enough  of  life  given  us  to  do  this.  4 .269. 

This  is  a  world  in  which  we  are  to  prove  ourselves.  The 
lifetime  of  man  is  a  day  of  trial,  wherein  we  may  prove  to 
God,  in  our  darkness,  in  our  weakness,  and  where  the  enemy 
reigns,  that  we  are  our  Father's  friends,  and  that  we  receive 
light  from  him  and  are  worthy  to  be  leaders  of  our  chil- 
dren— to  become  lords  of  lords,  and  kings  of  kings — to  have 
perfect  dominion  over  that  portion  of  our  families  that 
will  be  crowned  in  the  celestial  kingdom  with  glory,  im- 
mortality, and  eternal  lives.  8 .61. 

The  first  great  principle  that  ought  to  occupy  the  at- 
tention of  mankind,  that  should  be  understood  by  the  child 
and  the  adult,  and  which  is  the  main  spring  of  all  action, 
whether  people  understand  it  or  not,  is  the  principle  of 


134  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

improvement.  The  principle  of  increase,  of  exaltation,  of 
adding  to  that  we  already  possess,  is  the  grand  moving 
principle  and  cause  of  the  actions  of  the  children  of  men 
No  matter  what  their  pursuits  are,  in  what  nation  they  were 
born,  with  what  people  they  have  been  associated,  what 
religion  they  profess,  or  what  politics  they  hold,  this  is  the 
mam  spring  of  the  actions  of  the  people,  embracing  all  the 
powers  necessary  in  performing  the  duties  of  life.  2:91, 

Man  to  Endure  Forever — Hear  it,  all  ye  Latter-day 
Saints!  Will  you  spend  the  time  of  your  probation  for 
naught,  and  fool  away  your  existence  and  being?  You 
were  organized,  and  brought  into  being,  for  the  purpose 
of  enduring  forever,  if  you  fulfil  the  measure  of  your  crea- 
tion, pursue  the  right  path,  observe  the  requirements  of 
the  celestial  law,  and  obey  the  commandments  of  our  God 
1  113 

We  are  urged  by  the  Spnit  to  refrain  from  articles  which 
tend  to  death,  to  preserve  this  life,  which  is  the  most  pre- 
cious life  given  to  mortal  beings  preparatory  to  an  immortal 
life.  It  is  our  business  to  prepare  to  live  here  to  do  good 
Instead  of  crying  to  the  people,  prepare  to  die,  our  cry  is, 
prepare  to  live  forever.  These  mortal  houses  will  drop  off 
sometime,  and  when  they  are  cleansed  and  purified,  sancti- 
fied and  glorified,  we  shall  inherit  them  again  forever  and 
ever.  Let  all  the  Saints  pursue  a  course  to  live.  12 .209. 

Mankind,  in  general,  do  not  stop  to  reflect,  they  are 
pressing  headlong  to  grasp  the  whole  world  if  possible, 
each  individual  is  for  himself,  and  he  is  ignorant  of  the 
design  the  Almighty  had  in  his  creation  and  existence  in 
this  life.  To  obtain  a  knowledge  of  this  design  is  a  duty 
obligatory  upon  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam.  1 .334. 

The  Business  of  Life— The  only  business  that  we  have 


LAW    OF    ETERNAL    PROGRESSION  135 

on  hand  is  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  prepare  the 
way  of  the  Son  of  Man,  5 :230. 

We  are  here  to  live,  to  spread  intelligence  and  knowledge 
among  the  people  I  am  here  to  school  my  brethren,  to 
teach  my  family  the  way  of  life,  to  propagate  my  species, 
and  to  live,  if  in  my  power,  until  sin,  iniquity,  corruption, 
hell,  and  the  Devil,  and  all  classes  and  grades  of  abomina- 
tions are  driven  from  the  earth.  That  is  my  religion  and  the 
object  of  my  existence.  We  are  not  here  merely  to  prepare 
to  die,  and  then  die,  but  we  are  here  to  live  and  build  up 
the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth— to  promote  the  Priest- 
hood, overcome  the  powers  of  Satan,  and  teach  the  children 
of  man  what  they  are  created  for— that  in  them  is  con- 
cealed the  germ  of  all  intelligence  Here  is  the  starting- 
point— the  foundation  that  is  laid  in  the  organization  of  man 
for  receiving  a  fulness  of  eternal  knowledge  and  glory 
Are  we  to  go  yonder  to  obtain  it?  No,  we  are  to  promote 
it  on  this  earth.  8*282. 

Human  beings  are  expected  by  their  Creator  to  be 
actively  employed  in  doing  good  every  day  of  their  lives, 
either  in  improving  their  own  mental  and  physical  condition 
or  that  of  their  neighbors.  9  -190 

The  purpose  of  our  life  should  be  to  build  up  the  Zion  of 
our  God,  to  gather  the  House  of  Israel,  bring  in  the  fulness 
of  the  Gentiles,  restore  and  bless  the  earth  with  our  ability 
and  make  it  as  the  Garden  of  Eden,  store  up  treasures  of 
knowledge  and  wisdom  in  our  own  understandings,  purify 
our  own  hearts  and  prepare  a  people  to  meet  the  Lord 
when  he  comes.  10-222. 

Some  say  that  "this  is  a  miserable  world,  I  do  not  care 
how  soon  I  get  through."  Weil,  go  and  destroy  yourselves 
if  you  choose ,  you  have  all  the  opportunity  that  you  can 


136  DISCOURSES    OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

desire,  there  is  plenty  of  arsenic,  calomel,  and  other  means, 
within  your  reach.  But  I  would  not  give  a  cent  for  such 
persons;  I  do  not  delight  in  such  characters,  and  I  do  not 
believe  that  the  Lord  delights  in  people  who  wish  to  die 
before  they  have  accomplished  the  work  that  he  designed 
for  them  to  do  2-270-271 

The  Latter-day  Saints  throughout  the  valleys  in  these 
mountains  and  throughout  the  world  ought  to  be  learning 
what  they  are  on  this  earth  for  They  are  here  to  increase 
and  multiply,  to  enlarge,  to  gather  the  House  of  Israel,  re- 
deem Zion,  build  up  the  Zion  of  our  God,  and  to  promote 
that  eternal  intelligence  that  dwells  with  the  Gods,  and 
begin  to  plant  it  in  this  earth,  and  make  it  take  root  down- 
ward and  bring  forth  fruit  upward  to  the  glory  of  God, 
until  every  obnoxious  principle  in  the  hearts  of  men  is 
destroyed,  and  the  earth  returns  to  its  paradisical  state, 
and  the  Lord  comes  and  dwells  with  this  people,  and  walks 
and  talks  with  them  as  he  did  with  Father  Adam.  That  is 
our  business,  and  not  to  suffer  all  our  energies  to  be  ex- 
pended  in  merely  preparing  to  die  8  '282 

It  may  appear  strange  to  some  of  you,  and  it  certainly 
does  to  the  world,  to  say  it  is  possible  for  a  man  or  woman 
to  become  perfect  on  this  earth.  It  is  written  "Be  ye  there- 
fore perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is 
perfect "  Again,  "If  any  man  offend  not  m  word,  the  same 
is  a  perfect  man,  and  able  also  to  bridle  the  whole  body  " 
This  is  perfectly  consistent  to  the  person  who  understands 
what  perfection  really  is. 

If  the  first  passage  I  have  quoted  is  not  worded  to  our 
understanding,  we  can  alter  the  phraseology  of  the  sentence, 
and  say,  "Be  ye  as  perfect  as  ye  can,"  for  that  is  all  we  can 
do,  though  it  is  written,  be  ye  perfect  as  your  Father  who  is 


LAW    OF    ETERNAL    PROGRESSION  137 

in  heaven  is  perfect.  He  cannot  be  any  more  perfect  than 
he  knows  how,  any  more  than  we.  When  we  are  doing  as 
well  as  we  know  how  in  the  sphere  and  station  which  we 
occupy  here,  we  are  justified  in  the  justice,  righteousness, 
mercy,  and  judgment  that  go  before  the  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth.  We  are  as  justified  as  the  angels  who  are  before  the 
throne  of  God.  The  sin  that  will  cleav  to  all  the  posterity 
of  Adam  and  Eve  is,  that  they  have  not  done  as  well  as 
they  knew  how.  2 :129. 

When  we  use  the  term  perfection,  it  applies  to  man  in 
his  present  condition,  as  well  as  to  heavenly  beings.  We 
are  now,  or  may  be,  as  perfect  in  our  sphere  as  God  and 
angels  are  in  theirs,  but  the  greatest  intelligence  in  ex- 
istence can  continually  ascend  to  greater  heights  of  perfec- 
tion. 1 :93. 

Prepare  to  Live — Instead  of  preparing  to  die,  prepare 
to  live  in  the  midst  of  all  the  exaltations  of  the  Gods.  9 :291. 

We  are  organized  for  the  express  purpose  of  controlling 
the  elements,  of  organizing  and  disorganizing,  of  ruling  over 
kingdoms,  principalities,  and  powers,  and  yet  our  affections 
are  often  too  highly  placed  upon  paltry,  perishable  objects. 
We  love  houses,  gold,  silver,  and  various  kinds  of  property, 
and  all  who  unduly  prize  any  object  there  is  beneath  the 
celestial  world  are  idolators.  3 :257. 

But  so  long  as  we  willingly  hold  fellowship  with  that 
which  tends  to  death  and  destruction,  we  cannot  progress 
as  we  should  in  the  work  of  perfection  in  ourselves,  nor  in 
building  up  and  beautifying  Zion.  9 :284. 

It  is  our  privilege  to  say,  every  day  in  our  lives,  "That 
is  the  best  day  I  ever  lived."  Never  let  a  day  so  pass  that 
you  will  have  cause  to  say,  "I  will  live  better  to-morrow/' 
and  I  will  promise  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that 


138  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

your  lives  will  be  as  a  well  of  water  springing  up  to  ever- 
lasting life.  You  will  have  his  Spirit  to  dwell  in  you  con- 
tinually, and  your  eyes  will  be  open  to  see,  your  ears  to 
hear,  and  your  understandings  to  comprehend,  8 :140. 

He  gives  a  little  to  his  humble  followers  today,  and  if 
they  improve  upon  it,  tomorrow  he  will  give  them  a  little 
more,  and  the  next  day  a  little  more,  He  does  not  add  to 
that  which  they  do  not  improve  upon,  but  they  are  required 
to  continually  improve  upon  the  knowledge  they  already 
possess,  and  thus  obtain  a  store  of  wisdom.  It  is  plain, 
then,  that  we  may  receive  the  truth,  and  know,  through 
every  portion  of  the  soul,  that  the  Gospel  is  the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation ;  that  it  is  the  way  to  life  eternal ;  still 
there  may  be  added  to  this,  more  power,  wisdom,  knowl- 
edge, and  understanding,  2:2. 

Eternal  Increase— This  people  must  go  forward,  or  they 
will  go  backward.  16 '165 

This  work  is  a  progressive  work,  this  doctrine  that  is 
taught  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  its  nature  is  exalting,  in- 
creasing, expanding  and  extending  broader  and  broader 
until  we  can  know  as  we  are  known,  see  as  we  are  seen 
16-165 

Unless  this  work  is  in  progress  as  a  whole,  it  is  not  com- 
plete— we  are  found  wanting,  and  not  prepared  to  do  the 
work  we  are  called  and  sent  to  do.  6 ,267. 

Ignorant?  Yes,  we  are  ignorant;  but  we  are  on  the  high 
road  to  that  eternal  knowledge  that  fills  the  bosoms  of  the 
Gods  in  eternity.  7  A. 

We  can  still  improve,  we  are  made  for  that  purpose, 
our  capacities  are  organized  to  expand  until  we  can  receive 
into  our  comprehension  celestial  knowledge  and  wisdom, 
and  to  continue,  worlds  without  end.  1  *92 


LAW    OF    ETERNAL    PROGRESSION  139 

Shall  we  ever  be  learning  and  never  be  able  to  come  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth?  No,  I  say  we  shall  not;  but  we 
shall  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  This  is  my  hope 
and  anticipation,  and  this  is  my  joy.  18.237. 

We  are  in  the  school  and  keep  learning,  and  we  do  not 
expect  to  cease  learning  while  we  live  on  earth ;  and  when 
we  pass  through  the  veil,  we  expect  still  to  continue  to 
learn  and  increase  ur  fund  of  information.  That  may  ap- 
pear a  strange  idea  to  some;  but  it  is  for  the  plain  and 
simple  reason  that  we  are  not  capacitated  to  receive  all 
knowledge  at  once.  We  must  therefore  receive  a  little 
here  and  a  little  there.  6:286. 

We  have  the  principle  within  us,  and  so  has  every  being 
on  this  earth,  to  increase  and  to  continue  to  increase,  to 
enlarge,  and  receive  and  treasure  up  truth,  until  we  become 
perfect.  It  is  wisdom  for  us  to  be  the  friends  of  God ;  and 
unless  we  are  filled  with  integrity  and  preserve  ourselves  in 
our  integrity  before  our  God,  we  actually  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  our  destruction.  5-54. 

If  we  are  saved,  we  are  happy,  we  are  filled  with  light, 
glory,  intelligence,  and  we  pursue  a  course  to  enjoy  the 
blessings  that  the  Lord  has  in  store  for  us.  If  we  continue 
to  pursue  that  course,  it  produces  just  the  thing  we  want, 
that  is,  to  be  saved  at  this  present  moment.  And  this  will 
lay  the  foundation  to  be  saved  forever  and  forever,  which 
will  amount  to  an  eternal  salvation.  1:131. 

Can  mortal  beings  live  so  that  they  are  worthy  of  the 
society  of  angels?  I  can  answer  the  question  for  myself— 
I  believe  that  they  can;  I  am  sure  that  they  can.  But  in 
doing  this,  they  must  subdue  the  sin  that  is  within  them- 
selves, correct  every  influence  that  arises  within  their  own 
hearts  that  is  opposed  to  the  sanctifying  influences  of  the 


140  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

grace  of  God,  and  purify  themselves  by  their  faith  and  by 
their  conduct,  so  that  they  are  worthy.  Then  they  are  pre- 
pared for  the  society  of  angels.  To  be  Saints  indeed  re- 
quires every  wrong  influence  that  is  within  them,  as  in- 
dividuals, to  be  subdued,  until  every  evil  desire  is  eradicated, 
and  every  feeling  of  their  hearts  is  brought  into  subjection 
to  the  will  of  Christ.  19  66 

We  ought  not  to  speak  lightly  of  and  undervalue  the  life 
we  now  enjoy,  but  so  dispose  of  each  passing  day  that  the 
hours  and  minutes  are  spent  in  doing  good,  or  at  least  doing 
no  harm,  in  making  ourselves  useful,  in  improving  our 
talents  and  abilities  to  do  more  good,  cultivating  the  prin- 
ciple of  kindness  to  every  being  pertaining  to  our  earthly 
sphere,  learning  their  uses  and  how  to  apply  them  to  pro- 
duce the  greatest  possible  amount  of  good,  learning  to 
conduct  ourselves  towards  our  families  and  friends  in  a 
way  to  win  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  good,  and  over- 
come every  ungovernable  passion  by  a  constant  practice  of 
cool  judgment  and  deliberate  thoughts.  9*291. 

Because  of  the  weakness  of  human  nature,  it  must  crum- 
ble to  the  dust  But  in  all  the  revolutions  and  changes  in 
the  existence  of  men,  in  the  eternal  world  which  they  in- 
habit, and  in  the  knowledge  they  have  obtained  as  people 
on  the  earth,  there  is  no  such,  thing  as  principle,  power, 
wisdom,  knowledge,  life,  position,  or  anything  that  can 
be  imagined,  that  remains  stationary — they  must  increase 
or  decrease.  1 :350 

Take  the  history  of  this  Church  from  the  commence- 
ment, and  we  have  proved  that  we  cannot  receive  all  the 
Lord  has  for  us.  We  have  proved  to  the  heavens  and  to 
one  another  that  we  are  not  yet  capacitated  to  receive  all 
the  Lord  has  for  us,  and  that  we  have  not  yet  a  disposition 


LAW    OF    ETERNAL    PROGRESSION  141 

to  receive  all  he  has  for  us.  Can  you  understand  that  there 
is  a  time  you  can  receive,  and  there  is  a  time  you  cannot 
receive,  a  time  when  there  is  no  place  in  the  heart  to  re- 
ceive? The  heart  of  man  will  be  closed  up,  the  will  will 
be  set  against  this  and  that,  that  we  have  opportunity  to 
receive.  There  is  an  abundance  the  Lord  has  for  the 
people,  if  they  would  receive  it.  10.291 

To  me,  life  is  increase;  death  is  the  opposite.    1:350. 

Do  you  think  that  we  are  always  going  to  remain  the 
same  size?  I  am  not  a  stereotyped  Latter-day  Saint,  and 
do  not  believe  in  the  doctrine.  Every  year  the  Elders  of 
Israel  are  improving  and  learning,  and  have  more  power, 
more  influence  with  the  Heavens,  more  power  over  the 
elements,  and  over  diseases,  and  over  the  power  of  Satan, 
who  has  ruled  this  earth  from  the  days  of  the  fall  until  now. 
We  have  to  gain  power  until  we  break  the  chain  of  the 
enemy.  Are  we  going  to  stand  still?  Away  with  stereo- 
typed "Mormons."  I  have  more  power  than  I  had  last 
year.  I  feel  much  stronger  than  ever  before,  and  that  too 
in  the  power  of  God ;  and  I  feel  as  though  I  could  take  the 
people  and  bring  them  into  the  presence  of  God,  if  they  only 
hearken  to  counsel.  Do  you  think  that  I  am  improving? 
"Yes.**  Keep  up,  then ;  keep  your  places,  and  follow  in  the 
track.  8:185. 

We  are  privileged,  in  a  spiritual  point  of  view,  precisely 
as  we  are  in  a  temporal  point  of  view.  We  have  the 
privilege  of  learning  and  adding  to  the  knowledge  we  have 
already  obtained.  We  have  a  knowledge,  for  instance,  of 
the  rudiments  of  the  English  language.  If  we  continue  in 
our  studies — in  our  exertions  to  acquire  information,  we 
obtain  more  knowledge;  and  if  we  continue  still  to  per- 


142  DISCOUBSES   OF   BJUGHAM    YOUNG 

severe,  we  add  still  more  to  that,  until  we  are  perfect  mas- 
ters of  the  language, 

Again,  with  regard  to  mechanism,  in  a  certain  sense,  the 
same  principle  will  hold  good  We  have  the  privilege  of 
learning  the  arts  and  sciences  that  the  learned  among  the 
Gentile  nations  understand ,  we  have  the  privilege  of  becom- 
ing classical  scholars— of  commencing  with  the  rudiments 
of  all  knowledge— of  entering  into  the  academies,  we  might 
say,  of  perfection.  We  might  study,  and  add  knowledge  to 
knowledge,  from  the  time  that  we  are  capable  of  knowing 
anything  until  we  go  down  to  the  grave  If  we  enjoyed 
healthy  bodies,  so  as  not  to  wear  upon  the  functions  of  the 
mind,  there  is  no  end  to  a  man's  learning.  This  compares 
precisely  with  our  situation  pertaining  to  heavenly  things. 
6  283-284. 

But  simply  to  take  the  path  pointed  out  in  the  Gospel 
by  those  who  have  given  us  the  plan  of  salvation,  is  to  take 
the  path  that  leads  to  life,  to  eternal  increase;  it  is  to  pur- 
sue that  course  wherein  we  shall  never,  never  lose  what  we 
obtain,  but  continue  to  collect,  to  gather  together,  to  in- 
crease, to  spread  abroad,  and  extend  to  an  endless  duration 
Those  persons  who  strive  to  gam  eternal  life,  gam  that 
which  will  produce  the  increase  their  hearts  will  be  satis- 
fied with.  Nothing  less  than  the  privilege  of  increasing 
eternally,  m  every  sense  of  the  word,  can  satisfy  the  im- 
mortal spirit.  If  the  endless  stream  of  knowledge  from  the 
eternal  fountain  could  all  be  drunk  in  by  organized  in- 
telligences, so  sure  immortality  would  come  to  an  end,  and 
all  eternity  be  thrown  upon  the  retrograde  path.  1 ,350 

There  is  one  principle  that  I  wish  the  people 
would  understand  and  lay  to  heart  Just  as  fast 
as  you  will  prove  before  your  God  that  you  are 


LAW    OF    E1EKNAL    PROGRESSION  143 

worthy  to  receive  the  mysteries,  if  you  please  to 
call  them  so,  of  the  Kingdom  of  heaven— that  you 
are  full  of  confidence  in  God — that  you  will  never  betray 
a  thing  that  God  tells  you — that  you  will  never  reveal  to 
your  neighbor  that  which  ought  not  to  be  revealed,  as 
quick  as  you  prepare  to  be  entrusted  with  the  things  of 
God,  there  is  an  eternity  of  them  to  bestow  upon  you  In- 
stead of  pleading  with  the  Lord  to  bestow  more  upon  you, 
plead  with  yourselves  to  have  confidence  m  yourselves,  to 
have  integrity  in  yourselves,  and  know  when  to  speak  and 
what  to  speak,  what  to  reveal,  and  how  to  carry  yourselves 
and  walk  before  the  Lord.  And  just  as  fast  as  you  prove  to 
him  that  you  will  preserve  everything  secret  that  ought 
to  be— that  you  will  deal  out  to  your  neighbors  all  which 
you  ought,  and  no  more,  and  learn  how  to  dispense  your 
knowledge  to  your  families,  friends,  neighbors,  and  breth- 
ren, the  Lord  will  bestow  upon  you,  and  give  to  you,  and 
bestow  upon  you,  until  finally  he  will  say  to  you,  "You  shall 
never  fall ,  your  salvation  is  sealed  unto  you,  you  are  sealed 
up  unto  eternal  life  and  salvation,  through  your  integrity." 
4371. 

Life  is  an  accumulation  of  every  property  and  principle 
that  is  calculated  to  enrich,  to  ennoble,  to  enlarge,  and  to 
increase,  m  every  particular,  the  dominion  of  individual 
man  To  me,  life  would  signify  an  extension  I  have  the 
privilege  of  spreading  abroad,  of  enlarging  my  borders,  of 
increasing  in  endless  knowledge,  wisdom,  and  power,  and 
in  every  gift*  of  God.  To  live  as  I  am,  without  progress, 
is  not  life,  in  fact  we  may  say  that  is  impossible.  There 
is  no  such  principle  in  existence,  neither  can  there  be. 
You  may  explore  all  the  eternities  that  have  been,  were  it 


144  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

possible,  then  come  to  that  which  we  now  understand 
according  to  the  principles  of  natural  philosophy,  and  where 
is  there  an  element,  an  individual  living  thing,  an  organized 
body,  of  whatever  nature,  that  continues  as  it  is?  It  cannot 
be  found.  All  things  that  have  come  within  the  bounds  of 
man's  limited  knowledge—the  things  he  naturally  unler- 
stands,  teach  him  that  there  is  no  period,  in  all  the  eter- 
nities, wherein  organized  existence  will  become  stationary, 
that  it  cannot  advance  in  knowledge,  wisdom,  power,  and 
glory. 

If  a  man  could  ever  arrive  at  the  point  that  would  put 
an  end  to  the  accumulation  of  life — the  point  at  which  he 
could  increase  no  more,  and  advance  no  further,  we  should 
naturally  say  he  commenced  to  decrease  at  the  same  point. 
Again,  when  he  has  gained  the  zenith  of  knowledge,  wis- 
dom, and  power,  it  is  the  point  at  which  he  begins  to  retro- 
grade ,  his  natural  abilities  will  begin  to  contract,  and  so  he 
will  continue  to  decrease,  until  all  he  knew  is  lost  in  the 
chaos  of  forgetfulness.  As  we  understand  naturally,  this  is 
the  conclusion  we  must  come  to,  if  a  termination  to  the  in- 
crease of  life  and  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  is  true  1  ;349. 

The  knowledge  we  now  have  in  our  possession  is  suf- 
ficient to  guide  and  direct  us  step  by  step,  day  by  day,  until 
we  are  made  perfect  before  the  Lord  our  Father.  8:167. 

Can  you  not  live  it  for  one  hour?  Begin  at  a  small 
point;  can  you  not  live  to  the  Lord  for  one  minute?  Yes. 
Then  can  we  not  multiply  that  by  sixty  and  make  an  hour, 
and  live  that  hour  to  the  Lord?  Yes;  and  then  for  a  day, 
a  week,  a  month,  and  a  year?  Then,  when  the  year  is  past, 
it  has  been  spent  most  satisfactorily.  8 .59-60. 

There  are  great  and  glorious  things  yet  to  be  revealed. 


LAW    OF    ETERNAL    PROGRESSION  145 

We  are  but  babes  and  sucklings  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  godliness.  With  all  we  know  and  understand  by  the 
Priesthood  here  in  the  midst  of  this  people,  we  are  mere 
infants  before  the  angels  in  heaven  8  203. 

I  will  apply  my  heart  to  wisdom,  and  ask  the  Lord  to 
impart  it  to  me;  and  if  I  know  but  little,  I  will  improve 
upon  it,  that  to-morrow  I  may  have  more,  and  thus  grow 
from  day  to  day,  m  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  as  Jesus 
Chnst  grew  m  stature  and  knowledge  from  a  babe  to  man- 
hood 1  -313 

This  principle  is  inherent  in  the  organization  of  all  in- 
telligent beings,  so  that  we  are  capable  of  receiving,  and 
receiving,  and  receiving  from  the  inexhaustible  fountain 
of  knowledge  and  truth.  3:354 

It  is  enough  for  me  to  know  that  mankind  are  made  to 
improve  themselves  All  creation,  visible  and  invisible,  is  the 
workmanship  of  our  God,  the  supreme  Architect  and  Ruler 
of  the  whole,  who  organized  the  world,  and  created  every 
living  thing  upon  it,  to  act  in  its  sphere  and  order.  To  this 
end  has  he  ordained  all  things  to  increase  and  multiply. 
The  Lord  God  Almighty  has  decreed  this  principle  to  be 
the  great,  governing  law  of  existence,  and  for  that  purpose 
are  we  formed  Furthermore,  if  men  can  understand  and 
receive  it,  mankind  are  organized  to  receive  intelligence 
until  they  become  perfect  in  the  sphere  they  are  appointed 
to  fill,  which  is  far  ahead  of  us  at  present  1 .92. 

A  time  when  there  was  no  God,  no  eternity  1  It  cannot 
be  possible,  and  the  philosopher  who  tries  to  establish  such 
a  doctrine  cannot  possess  any  correct  ideas  of  his  own 
being.  Will  there  ever  be  such  a  time?  No.  But  forever 
onward  and  upward  19:50. 

Knowledge  increases  among  this  people;  they  know 


146    •  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

more  of  the  things  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  to-day  than  they 
did  in  the  days  of  Joseph  Smith.  10 .222. 

If  a  person  suffers  his  feelings  to  rise  above  the  natural 
level  of  his  capacity,  they  will  sink  in  the  same  ratio.  8  *32. 

Blessings  are  Proportioned  to  Our  Capacity — We  are 
prepared  for  some  things,  and  we  receive  just  as  fast  as 
we  prepare  ourselves.  15:4. 

The  heart  of  man  is  incapable  of  fully  comprehending 
the  blessings  that  God  has  in  store  for  the  faithful,  unless 
he  has  revealed  those  blessings  to  them  by  the  revelations 
of  his  Spirit.  The  natural  man  is  contracted  in  his  feelings, 
in  his  views,  faith  and  desires,  and  so  are  the  Saints,  unless 
they  live  their  religion.  8:188. 

Some  might  suppose  that  it  would  be  a  great  blessing 
to  be  taken  and  carried  directly  into  heaven  and  there  set 
down,  but  in  reality  that  would  be  no  blessing  to  such 
persons ;  they  could  not  reap  a  full  reward,  could  not  enjoy 
the  glory  of  the  kingdom,  and  could  not  comprehend  and 
abide  the  light  thereof,  but  it  would  be  to  them  a  hell  in- 
tolerable and  I  suppose  would  consume  them  much  quicker 
than  would  hell  fire.  It  would  be  no  blessing  to  you  to  be 
carried  into  the  celestial  kingdom,  and  obliged  to  stay 
therein,  unless  you  were  prepared  to  dwell  there.  3.221. 

A  man  who  has  had  his  mind  opened  to  the  operation  of 
the  Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God — who  understands  any- 
thing of  the  government  of  heaven,  must  understand  that 
finite  beings  are  not  capable  of  receiving  and  abiding  the 
celestial  law  in  its  fulness.  When  can  you  abide  a  celestial 
law?  When  you  become  a  celestial  being,  and  never  until 
then.  7:143. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
THE  DESTINY  OF  MAN 

The  Gift  of  Eternal  Life— This  is  the  greatest  gift  that 
can  be  conferred  on  intelligent  beings,  to  live  forever  and 
never  be  destroyed.  8:261. 

It  is  written  that  the  greatest  gift  God  can  bestow  upon 
man  is  the  gift  of  eternal  life.  The  greatest 'attainment  that 
we  can  reach  is  to  preserve  our  identity  to  an  eternal  dura- 
tion in  the  midst  of  the  heavenly  hosts.  We  have  the  words 
of  eternal  life  given  to  us  through  the  Gospel,  which,  if  we 
obey,  will  secure  unto  us  that  precious  gift.  8 .7. 

Suppose  it  possible  that  you  have  the  privilege  of  secur- 
ing to  yourselves  eternal  life — to  live  and  enjoy  these 
blessings  for  ever ;  you  will  say  this  is  the  greatest  blessing 
that  can  be  bestowed  upon  you,  to  live  forever  and  enjoy 
the  society  of  wives,  children,  and  children's  children,  to  a 
thousand  generations,  and  forever;  and  also  the  society  of 
brethren,  sisters,  neighbors,  and  associates,  and  to  possess 
all  you  can  ask  for  to  make  you  happy  and  comfortable 
What  blessing  is  equal  to  this  ?  What  blessing  is  equal  to 
the  continuation  of  life — to  the  continuation  of  our  organ- 
ization ?  8 :63. 

The  intelligence  that  is  in  me  to  cease  to  exist  is  a  horrid 
thought ;  it  is  past  enduring.  This  intelligence  must  exist ; 
it  must  dwell  somewhere.  If  I  take  the  right  course  and 
preserve  it  in  its  organization,  I  will  preserve  to  myself 
eternal  life.  5 .53. 

Never  serve  God  because  you  are  afraid  of  hell ;  but  live 
your  religion,  because  it  is  calculated  to  give  you  eternal 


148  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

life.  It  points  to  that  existence  that  never  ends,  while  the 
other  course  leads  to  destruction.  5  340. 

I  am  for  life  everlasting.  I  have  a  being  and  a  life  here , 
and  this  life  is  very  valuable ,  it  is  a  most  excellent  life '  I 
have  a  future!  I  am  living  for  another  existence  that  is 
far  above  this  sinful  world,  wherein  I  will  be  free  from  this 
darkness,  sin,  error,  ignorance  and  unbelief  I  am  looking 
forward  to  a  world  filled  with  light  and  intelligence,  where 
men  and  women  will  live  in  the  knowledge  and  light  of 
God.  13220.  • 

I  tell  you  that  if  we  strive  with  all  our  powers,  by-and- 
by  the  time  will  come  that  we  will  be  Saints  indeed.  I  have 
not  said  that  we  are  Saints  We  are  trying  to  be,  and  we 
profess  to  have  the  keys  that  will  lead  us  in  the  path  of 
eternal  lite.  6 ,46. 

Understand  eternity?  There  is  not  and  never  was  a 
man  m  finite  flesh  who  understands  it.  Enoch  has  been 
referred  to  in  this  matter  How  many  of  the  Gods  and 
kingdoms  he  saw  when  the  vision  of  his  mind  was  opened, 
matters  not  If  he  had  seen  more  than  he  could  have 
enumerated  throughout  his  long  life,  and  more  than  all  the 
men  on  earth  could  multiply  from  the  time  his  vision 
opened  until  now,  he  would  not  have  attained  to  the  com- 
prehension of  eternity.  How  much  Enoch  saw,  how  many 
worlds  he  saw,  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  This  is 
a  matter  that  wise  men  know  nothing  about.  8  17 

We  are  going  to  have  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the  ful- 
ness thereof,  and  all  the  heights  and  depths  of  glory,  power, 
and  knowledge ,  and  we  shall  have  fathers  and  mothers,  and 
wives  and  children  8  178 

Eternal  Increase — Whenever  we  get  into  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven,  where  God  and  Christ  dwell,  we  shall  find  some- 


HIE  DESTINY   OF   MAN  149 

thing  more  to  do  than  to  "sit  and  sing  ourselves  away  to 
everlasting  bliss."  The  mind  of  man  is  active,  and  we  must 
have  exercise  and  amusement  for  the  mmd  as  well  as  the 
body.  12.313. 

Now  understand,  to  choose  life  is  to  choose  principles 
that  will  lead  you  to  an  eternal  increase,  and  nothing  short 
of  them  will  produce  life  in  the  resurrection  for  the  faithful. 
Those  that  choose  death,  make  choice  of  the  path  which 
leads  to  the  end  of  their  organization.  The  one  leads  to 
endless  increase  and  progression,  the  other  to  the  destruc- 
tion. 1  352. 

If  men  are  faithful,  the  time  will  come  when  they  will 
possess  the  power  and  the  knowledge  to  obtain,  organize, 
bring  into  existence,  and  own  "What,  of  themselves,  in- 
dependent of  their  Creator?"  No  But  they  and  their 
Creator  will  always  be  one,  they  will  always  be  of  one  heart 
and  of  one  mind,  working  and  operating  together ;  for  what- 
soever the  Father  doeth  so  doeth  the  Son,  and  so  they 
continue  throughout  all  their  operations  to  all  eternity. 
2-304. 

The  Lord  has  blessed  us  with  the  ability  to  enjoy  an 
eternal  life  with  the  Gods,  and  this  is  pronounced  the  great- 
est gift  of  God  The  gift  of  eternal  life,  without  a  posterity, 
to  become  an  angel,  is  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  that  can  be 
bestowed;  yet  the  Lord  has  bestowed  on  us  the  privilege 
of  becoming  fathers  of  lives.  What  is  a  father  of  lives  as 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures?  A  man  who  has  a  posterity 
to  an  eternal  continuance.  That  is  the  blessing  Abraham 
received,  and  it  perfectly  satisfied  his  soul.  He  obtained 
the  promise  that  he  should  be  the  father  of  lives  8  63 

I  expect,  if  I  am  faithful,  with  yourselves,  that  I  shall 
see  the  time,  with  yourselves,  that  we  shall  know  how  to 


150  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

prepare  to  organize  an  earth  like  this — know  how  to  people 
that  earth,  how  to  redeem  it,  how  to  sanctify  it,  and  how  to 
glorify  it,  with  those  who  live  upon  it  who  hearken  to  our 
counsels.  6  274-5 

The  faithful  will  become  Gods,  even  the  sons  of  God; 
but  this  does  not  overthrow  the  idea  that  we  have  a  father. 
6:275 

After  men  have  got  their  exaltations  and  their  crowns- 
have  become  Gods,  even  the  sons  of  God— are  made  kings 
of  kings  and  lords  of  lords,  they  have  the  power  then  of 
propagating  their  species  in  spirit  Power  is  then  given  to 
them  to  organize  the  elements,  and  then  commence  the  or- 
ganization of  tabernacles.  6  275. 

The  Father  and  the  Son  have  attained  to  this  point 
already;  I  am  on  the  way,  and  so  are  you,  and  every 
faithful  servant  of  God.  6*275. 

The  Celestial  World— If  we  keep  the  celestial  law  when 
our  spirits  go  to  God  who  gave  them,  we  shall  find  that 
we  are  acquainted  there  and  distinctly  realize  that  we  know 
all  about  that  world.  4 .218. 

When  you  are  qualified  and  purified,  so  that  you  can 
endure  the  glory  of  eternity,  so  that  you  can  see  your 
Father,  and  your  friends  who  have  gone  behind  the  veil,  you 
will  fall  upon  their  necks  and  kiss  them,  as  we  do  an  earthly 
friend  that  has  been  long  absent  from  us,  and  that  we  have 
been  anxiously  desiring  to  see  4 ,55. 

When  you  see  celestial  beings,  you  will  see  men  and 
women,  but  you  will  see  those  beings  clothed  upon  with 
robes  of  celestial  purity.  We  cannot  bear  the  presence  of 
our  Father  now ;  and  we  are  placed  at  a  distance  to  prove 
whether  we  will  honor  these  tabernacles,  whether  we  will 
be  obedient  and  prepare  ourselves  to  live  in  the  glory  of 


THE   DESTINY    OF   MAN  151 

the  light,  privileges,  and  blessings  of  celestial  beings.  We 
could  not  have  the  glory  and  the  light  without  first  know- 
ing the  contrast.  Do  you  comprehend  that  we  could  have 
no  exaltation,  without  first  learning  by  contrast?  4.54. 

Opposition  to  Death— We  are  striving  for  eternal  life, 
and  are  opposed  to  those  who  love  and  have  the  power  of 
death.  We  have  the  influence  and  the  power  of  life,  and 
that  necessarily  brings  us  m  opposition  to  those  who  prefer 
the  principles  of  death.  7  56. 

We  are  not  in  opposition  to  anything  in  earth  or  hell, 
except  the  principle  of  death.  God  has  introduced  life, 
and  it  is  the  principle  of  life  that  we  are  after  The  power 
of  the  enemy  is 'all  the  time  trying  to  destroy  this  life,  and  I 
am  opposed  to  that  power,  7*56. 

The  principle  opposite  to  that  of  eternal  increase 
is  that  the  person  decreases,  loses  his  knowledge,  tact, 
talent,  and  ultimately,  in  a  short  period  of  time,  is  lost, 
But  where,  Oh!  where  is  his  spirit?  I  will  not 
now  take  the  time  to  follow  his  destiny;  but  here, 
strong  language  could  be  used,  for  when  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  shall  be  revealed,  after  the  termination  of  the  thou- 
sand years'  rest,  he  will  summon  the  armies  of  heaven  for 
the  conflict,  he  will  come  forth  in  flaming  fire,  he  will 
descend  to  execute  the  mandates  of  an  incensed  God,  and, 
amid  the  thunderings  of  the  wrath  of  Omnipotence,  roll  up 
the  heavens  as  a  scroll,  and  destroy  death,  and  him  that  has 
the  power  of  it.  1:118. 

Mankind  have  forfeited  the  right  they  once  possessed  to 
the  friendship  of  their  Heavenly  Father,  and  through  sin 
have  exposed  themselves  to  misery  and  wretchedness.  Who 
is  to  bring  back  to  the  sin-stained  millions  of  earth  that 
which  they  have  lost  through  disobedience?  Who  is  to 


152  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

plant  smiling  peace  and  plenty  where  war  and  desolation 
reign?  Who  is  to  remove  the  curse  and  its  consequences 
from  earth — the  homestead  of  mankind?  Who  shall  say 
to  the  raging  and  contending  elements,  "Peace,  be  still", 
and  extract  the  poison  from  the  reptile's  tooth,  and  the 
savage  and  destructive  nature  from  beast  and  creepinj 
thing? 

Who  placed  the  dark  stain  of  sin  upon  this  fair  creation  ? 
Man.  Who  but  man  shall  remove  the  foul  blot,  and  restore 
all  things  to  their  primeval  purity  and  innocence?  But  can 
he  do  this  independent  of  heavenly  aid?  He  can  not.  To 
aid  him  in  this  work  heavenly  grace  is  here ,  heavenly  wis- 
dom, power,  and  help  are  here,  and  God's  laws  and  ordi- 
nances are  here;  the  angels  and  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect  are  here;  Jesus  Christ,  our  Great  High  Priest,  with 
Prophets,  Apostles,  and  Saints,  ancient  and  modern,  are 
here  to  help  man  in  the  great  work  of  sanctifying  himself 
and  the  earth  for  final  glorification  in  its  paradisical  state. 
All  this  will  be  accomplished  through  the  law  of  the  holy 
Priesthood  10.301. 


CHAPTER  IX 
DISPENSATIONS  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

The  Earth— The  world  and  all  its  various  grades  of 
organized  denizens,  from  the  lowest  forms  of  vegetable  or 
animal  life,  up  to  man,  the  lord  of  creation,  were  framed 
and  made,  or  they  would  not  have  been  here.  14.41 : 

It  is  said  in  this  book  (the  Bible)  that  God  made  the 
earth  in  six  days.  This  is  a  mere  term,  but  it  matters  not 
whether  it  took  six  days,  six  months,  six  years,  or  six  thou- 
sand years.  The  creation  occupied  certain  periods  of  time. 
We  are  not  authorized  to  say  what  the  duration  of  these 
days  was,  whether  Moses  penned  these  words  as  we  have 
them,  or  whether  the  translators  of  the  Bible  have  given 
the  words  their  intended  meaning.  However,  God  created 
the  world.  God  brought  forth  material  out  of  which  he 
formed  this  little  terra  firma  upon  which  we  roam.  How 
long  had  this  material  been  in  existence?  Forever  and  for- 
ever, in  some  shape,  in  some  condition.  We  need  not  re- 
fer to  all  of  those  who  were  with  God,  and  who  assisted 
him  in  this  work.  The  elements  form  and  develop,  and  con- 
tinue to  do  so  until  they  mature,  and  then  they  commence 
to  decay  and  become  disorganized.  The  mountains  around 
us  were  formed  in  this  way.  By  and  by,  when  they  shall 
have  reached  their  maturity,  the  work  of  disintegration  and 
decay  will  commence.  It  has  been  so  from  all  eternity,  and 
will  continue  to  be  so  until  they  are  made  celestial.  18 :231. 

This  earth  is  brought  together  and  organized  from 
native  elements  as  we  now  behold  it,  our  tabernacles  in- 
cluded. The  matter  of  which  all  animate  and  inanimate 
existence  is  formed  is  from  all  eternity,  and  it  must  remain 


154  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

to  all  eternity,  without  beginning  and  without  end  There 
are  certain  portions  of  this  native  element  that  will  be  re- 
fined and  prepared  to  enter  into  the  celestial  kingdom — into 
the  celestial  family  of  the  celestial  world.  If  the  spirit 
honors  the  body  and  the  body  honors  the  spirit  while  they 
are  here  united,  the  particles  of  matter  that  compose  the 
mortal  tabernacle  will  be  resurrected  and  brought  forth 
to  immortality  and  eternal  life,  but  it  cannot  be  brought 
forth  and  made  immortal,  except  it  undergoes  a  change, 
for  "dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return  "  What 
for?  To  prepare  the  body  to  be  made  immortal  and  fitted 
to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  Gods.  8 .27. 

We  shall  go  and  come ;  and  when  we  are  in  the  eternity, 
we  shall  be  on  this  earth,  which  will  be  brought  into  the 
immediate  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  We  shall 
inhabit  different  mansions,  and  worlds  will  continue  to  be 
made,  formed,  and  organized,  and  messengers  from  this 
earth  will  be  sent  to  others.  This  earth  will  become  a 
celestial  body — be  like  a  sea  of  glass,  or  like  a  Urim  and 
Thummirn ,  and  when  you  wish  to  know  anything,  you  can 
look  in  this  earth  and  see  all  the  eternities  of  God.  We 
shall  make  our  home  here,  and  go  on  our  missions  as  we  do 
now,  but  at  greater  than  railroad  speed.  8  200. 

We  are  for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  not  going  to  the 
moon,  nor  to  any  other  planet  pertaining  to  this  solar  sys- 
tem, but  are  determined  to  have  a  heaven  here,  and  are 
going  to  make  it  ourselves,  by  the  help  of  God  and  his 
angels.  We  have  been  traditionated  that  when  we  were 
prepared  to  be  saved,  we  ought  then  to  pass  from  this  stage 
of  existence,  and  that  then  we  never  would  have  anything 
more  to  do  with  this  earth ;  for  all  our  connections  and  as- 
sociations with  it,  as  pertaining  to  this  life,  also  passed 


DISPENSATIONS  OP  THE  GOSPEL  155 

away,  and  we  should  see  and  know  nothing  about  it  in  the 
future.  This  is  not  according  to  the  design,  as  we  believe, 
of  God  and  his  providences  and  works  It  is  not  the  work 
of  the  Lord  to  organize  an  earth  and  destroy  it  That  is 
not  the  system  he  has  devised  His  plan  is  to  organize  an 
earth,  people  it  with  intelligent  beings,  present  to  them  the 
principles  of  eternal  life,  and  bestow  upon  them  the  keys 
thereof,  that  they  may  be  able  to  prepare  themselves  to 
dwell  to  all  eternity,  and  to  bring  forth  their  increase  to 
dwell  with  them  This  is  our  belief  8  293 

The  animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral  kingdoms  abide  the 
law  of  their  Creator;  the  whole  earth  and  all  things  per- 
taining to  it,  except  man,  abide  the  law  of  their  creation. 
9246. 

The  earth  is  organized  for  a  glorious  resurrection  1  274. 

But  the  earth  will  not  be  utterly  destroyed;  the  ele- 
ments of  which  it  is  composed  will  not  be  annihilated,  but 
they  will  be  changed.  Neither  shall  those  be  consumed  who 
can  abide  the  day  of  the  Lord  Almighty,  and  stand  in  his 
presence  The  earth  in  that  great  day  will  be  renovated— 
cleansed  from  wickedness — purified  from  dross,  sanctified, 
and  prepared  for  the  habitation  of  the  Saints  of  the  Most 
High.  2  124. 

The  earth  is  very  good  in  and  of  itself,  and  has  abided 
a  celestial  law,  consequently  we  should  not  despise  it,  nor 
desire  to  leave  it,  but  rather  desire  and  strive  to  obey  the 
same  law  that  the  earth  abides,  and  abide  it  as  honorably  as 
does  the  earth.  2.302-303. 

The  earth  will  abide  its  creation,  and  will  be  counted 
worthy  of  receiving  the  blessings  designed  for  it,  and  will 
ultimately  roll  back  into  the  presence  of  God  who  formed 
it  and  established  its  mineral,  vegetable,  and  animal  king- 


156  DISCOURSES  OF  BSIGHAM   YOUNG 

doms.  These  will  all  be  retained  upon  the  earth,  come  forth 
in  the  resurrection,  and  abide  for  ever  and  for  ever  8  8. 
This  earth  in  its  present  condition  and  situation,  is  not 
a  fit  habitation  for  the  sanctified ;  but  it  abides  the  law  of 
its  creation,  has  been  baptized  with  water,  will  be  baptized 
by  fire  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  by-and-by  will  be  prepared 
for  the  faithful  to  dwell  upon.  8  ;83. 

Adam  and  Eve— Mankind  is  composed  of  two  distinct 
elements ;  the  first  is  a  spiritual  organization  in  eternity,  the 
second  is  a  natural  organization  on  this  earth,  formed  out 
of  the  material  of  which  this  earth  is  composed.  Man  is 
first  spiritual,  then  temporal. 

These  spirits  I  shall  leave  for  the  present,  and  refer  to 
our  first  parents,  Adam  and  Eve,  who  were  found  in  the 
Garden  of  Eden,  tempted  and  overcome  by  the  power  of 
evil,  and  consequently  subject  to  evil  and  sin,  which  was 
the  penalty  of  their  transgression  They  were  now  pre- 
pared, as  we  are,  to  form  bodies  or  tabernacles  for  the  re- 
ception of  pure  and  holy  spirits,  18 .257. 

When  Father  Adam  came  to  assist  in  organizing  the 
earth  out  of  the  crude  material  that  was  found,  an  earth 
was  made  upon  which  the  children  of  men  could  live.  After 
the  earth  was  prepared  Father  Adam  came  and  stayed  here, 
and  there  was  a  woman  brought  to  him  There  was  a  cer- 
tain woman  brought  to  Father  Adam  whose  name  was  Eve, 
because  she  was  the  first  woman,  and  she  was  given  to  him 
to  be  his  wife.  16:167. 

When  Moses  wrote  and  said  that  man  was  formed  pre- 
cisely in  the  image  of  God  he  wrote  the  truth.  We  are  the 
children  of  our  Father — his  offspring,  of  the  same  family ; 
we  belong  to  him  by  birthright,  and  we  are  his  children 


DISPENSATIONS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  157 

and  Jesus  is  our  brother  Does  the  Bible  tell  all  this  ?  Just 
as  plain  as  words  can  tell  anything,  14  280. 

In  the  beginning  after  this  earth  was  prepared  for  man, 
the  Lord  commenced  his  work  upon  what  is  now  called  the 
American  continent,  where  the  Garden  of  Eden  was  made. 
In  the  days  of  Noah,  in  the  days  of  the  floating  of  the  ark, 
he  took  the  people  to  another  part  of  the  earth;  the  earth 
was  divided,  and  there  he  set  up  his  kingdom.  8  195, 

The  human  family  are'  formed  after  the  image  of  our 
Father  and  God  After  the  earth  was  organized  the  Lord 
placed  his  children  upon  it,  gave  them  possession  of  it, 
and  told  them  that  it  was  their  home — the  place  of  their 
habitation  from  thenceforth ;  he  told  them  to  till  the  ground 
and  subdue  it ,  he  gave  it  to  them  for  their  inheritance,  and 
to  do  their  will  upon  it.  Then  Satan  steps  in  and  over- 
comes them  through  the  weakness  there  was  in  the  chil- 
dren of  the  Father  when  they  were  sent  to  the  earth,  and 
sin  was  brought  in,  and  thus  \ve  are  subjected  to  sin  10  300 

Some  may  regret  that  our  first  parents  sinned  This  is 
nonsense  If  we  had  been  there,  and  they  had  not  sinned, 
we  should  have  sinned.  I  will  not  blame  Adam  or  Eve. 
Why?  Because  it  was  necessary  that  sin  should  enter  into 
the  world;  no  man  could  ever  understand  the  principle  of 
exaltation  without  its  opposite;  no  one  could  ever  receive 
an  exaltation  without  being  acquainted  with  its  opposite 
How  did  Adam  and  Eve  sin  ?  Did  they  come  out  in  direct 
opposition  to  God  and  to  his  government?  No  But  they 
transgressed  a  command  of  the  Lord,  and  through  that 
transgression  sin  came  into  the  world.  The  Lord  knew 
they  would  do  this,  and  he  had  designed  that  they  should 
Then  came  the  curse  upon  the  fruit,  upon  the  vegetables, 
and  upon  our  mother  earth ;  and  it  came  upon  the  creeping 


158  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

things,  upon  the  grain  in  the  field,  the  fish  in  the  sea;  and 
upon  all  things  pertaining  to  this  earth,  through  man's 
transgression.  10  312 

Mother  Eve  partook  of  the  forbidden  fruit.  We  should 
not  have  been  here  to-day  if  she  had  not,  we  could  never 
have  possessed  wisdom  and  intelligence  if  she  had  not  done 
it  It  was  all  in  the  economy  of  heaven,  and  we  need  not 
talk  about  it ,  it  is  all  right.  We  should  never  blame  Mother 
Eve,  not  the  least  I  am  thankful  to  God  that  I  know  good 
from  evil,  the  bitter  from  the  sweet,  the  things  of  God  from 
the  things  not  of  God  When  I  look  at  the  economy  of 
heaven  my  heart  leaps  for  joy,  and  if  I  had  the  tongue  of  an 
angel,  or  the  tongues  of  the  whole  human  family  combined, 
I  would  praise  God  in  the  highest  for  his  great  wisdom 
and  condescension  in  suffering  the  children  of  men  to  fall 
into  the  very  sin  into  which  they  had  fallen,  for  he  did  it 
that  they,  like  Jesus,  might  descend  below  all  things  and 
then  press  forward  and  rise  above  all.  13:145 

The  Devil  had  truth  in  his  mouth  as  well  as  lies  when 
he  came  to  Mother  Eve  Said  he,  "If  you  will  eat  of  the 
fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  you  will  see 
as  the  Gods  see."  That  was  just  as  true  as  anything  that 
ever  was  spoken  on  the  face  of  the  earth  She  did  eat,  her 
eyes  were  opened,  and  she  saw  good  and  evil.  She  gave  of 
the  fruit  to  her  husband,  and  he  ate,  too  What  would 
have  been  the  consequence  if  he  had  not  done  so?  They 
would  have  been  separated,  and  where  would  we  have  been  ? 
I  am  glad  he  did  eat  12:70. 

We  are  safe  in  saying  that  from  the  day  that  Adam  was 
created  and  placed  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  to  this  day,  the 
plan  of  salvation  and  the  revelations  of  the  will  of  God  to 
man  are  unchanged,  although  mankind  have  not  for  many 


DISPENSATIONS    OF   THE   GOSPEL  159 

ages  been  favored  therewith,  in  consequence  of  apostasy 
and  wickedness  There  is  no  evidence  to  be  found  in  the 
Bible  that  the  Gospel  should  be  one  thing-  in  the  days  of 
the  Israelites,  another  in  the  days  of  Christ  and  his  Apos- 
tles, and  another  in  the  19th  century,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
we  are  instructed  that  God  is  the  same  in  every  age,  and 
that  his  plan  of  saving  his  children  is  the  same  The  plan 
of  salvation  is  one,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the 
end  thereof.  10-324 

I  wish  you  all  to  understand  "Mormonism"  as  it  is.  We 
embraced  it  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  because  we  con- 
sidered it  the  best  religion  we  could  find.  Can  we  tell  how 
much  better  "Mormonism"  is  than  other  religions  and  isms 
of  the  present  day ?  More  or  less  truth  may  be  found  in 
them  all,  both  in  civilized  and  barbarous  nations  How 
has  it  transpired  that  theological  truth  is  thus  so  widely 
disseminated?  It  is  because  God  was  once  known  on  the 
earth  among  his  children  of  mankind,  as  we  know  one 
another  Adam  was  as  conversant  with  his  Father  who 
placed  him  ttpon  this  earth  as  we  are  conversant  with  our 
earthly  parents  The  Father  frequently  came  to  visit  his 
son  Adam,  and  talked  and  walked  with  him;  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Adam  were  more  or  less  acquainted  with  him,  and 
the  things  that  pertain  to  God  and  to  heaven  were  as 
familiar  among  mankind  in  the  first  ages  of  their  existence 
on  the  earth,  as  these  mountains  are  to  our  mountain  boys, 
as  our  gardens  are  to  our  wives  and  children,  or  as  thp  road 
to  the  Western  Ocean  is  to  the  experienced  traveler.  From 
this  source  mankind  have  received  their  religious  tradi- 
tions. 9.148. 

The  Gospel  was  among  the  children  of  men  from  the 
days  of  Adam  until  the  coming  of  the  Messiah ;  this  Gospel 


160  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

of  Christ  is  from  the  beginning  to  the  end.  Then  why  was 
the  law  of  Moses  given?  In  consequence  of  the  disobedi- 
ence of  the  Children  of  Israel,  the  elect  of  God ,  the  very  seed 
that  he  had  selected  to  be  his  people,  and  upon  whom  he 
said  he  would  place  his  name  This  seed  of  Abraham  so 
rebelled  against  him  and  his  commands  that  the  Lord 
said  to  Moses,  "I  will  give  you  a  law  which  shall  be  a 
schoolmaster  to  bring  them  to  Christ "  But  this  law  is 
grievous ,  it  is  a  law  of  carnal  commandments.  13 .269. 

Cain  conversed  with  his  God  every  day,  and  knew  all 
about  the  plan  of  creating  this  earth,  for  his  father  told 
him  But,  for  the  want  of  humility,  and  through  jealousy, 
and  an  anxiety  to  possess  the  kingdom,  and  to  have  the 
whole  of  it  under  his  own  control,  and  not  allow  anybody 
else  the  right  to  say  one  word,  what  did  he  do?  He  killed 
his  brother  Then  the  Lord  put  a  mark  on  him  2  -142-143 

Here  let  me  state  to  all  philosophers  of  every  class  upon 
the  earth,  when  you  tell  me  that  Father  Adam  was  made 
as  we  make  adobes  from  the  earth,  you  tell  me  what  I 
deem  an  idle  tale.  When  you  tell  me  that  the  beasts  of 
the  field  were  produced  in  that  manner,  you  are  speaking 
idle  words  devoid  of  meaning.  There  is  no  such  thing  in 
all  the  eternities  where  the  Gods  dwell.  Mankind  are  here 
because  they  are  the  offspring  of  parents  who  were  first 
brought  here  from  another  planet,  and  power  was  given 
them  to  propagate  their  species,  and  they  were  commanded 
to  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth.  7-285-6. 

We  all  belong  to  the  races  which  have  sprung  from 
Father  Adam  and  Mother  Eve ,  and  every  son  and  daughter 
of  that  God  we  serve,  who  organized  this  earth  and  millions 
of  others,  and  who  holds  them  in  existence  by  law,  14  111. 

There  are  no  persons  without  evil  passions  to  embitter 


DISPENSATIONS    OF   THE   GOSPEL  161 

their  lives  Mankind  are  revengeful,  passionate,  hateful, 
and  devilish  in  their  dispositions.  This  we  inherit  through 
the  fall,  and  the  grace  of  God  is  designed  to  enable  us  to 
overcome  it.  The  grace  of  God  is  bestowed  upon  all,  and 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  planted  on  the  earth  expressly  to 
enable  mankind  to  overcome  the  evil  that  is  in  them,  and 
to  save  alL  8.160. 

It  is  true  mankind  have  wandered  and  have  fallen  from 
that  which  they  might  have  attained  through  the  redemp- 
tion made  by  Jesus  Christ;  but  there  is  one  point  m  connec- 
tion with  this  statement  on  which  I  differ  from  the  orthodox 
divines  of  the  day.  They  say  that  man  is  naturally  prone 
to  evil  In  some  respects  this  is  true,  where  by  the  force  of 
example  and  wrong  tradition  has  become  ingrained,  but  if 
man  had  always  been  permitted  to  follow  the  instincts  of 
his  nature,  had  he  always  followed  the  great  and  holy 
principles  of  his  organism,  they  would  have  led  him  into  the 
path  of  life  everlasting,  which  the  whole  human  family  are 
constantly  trying  to  find.  10:189. 

Enoch  to  Moses — The  Lord  sent  forth  his  Gospel  to  the 
people ;  he  said,  I  will  give  it  to  my  son  Adam,  from  whom 
Methuselah  received  it;  and  Noah  received  from  Methuse- 
lah ;  and  Melchizedek  administered  to  Abraham.  3 .94. 

Enoch  possessed  intelligence  and  wisdom  from  God  that 
few  men  ever  enjoyed,  walking  and  talking  with  God  for 
many  years ;  yet,  according  to  the  history  written  by  Moses, 
he  was  a  great  length  of  time  in  establishing  his  kingdom 
among  men.  The  few  that  followed  him  enjoyed  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Gospel,  and  the  rest  of  the  world  rejected  it. 
Enoch  and  his  party  were  taken  from  the  earth,  and  the 
world  continued  to  ripen  in  iniquity  until  they  were  over- 
thrown by  the  great  flood  in  the  days  of  Noah ;  and,  "as  it 


162  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

was  in  the  days  of  Noah,  so  shall  it  be  m  the  days  of  the 
coming  of  the  Son  of  Man,"  9.365. 

Enoch  had  to  talk  with  and  teach  his  people  during 
a  period  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  years,  before  he  could 
get  them  prepared  to  enter  into  their  rest,  and  then  he 
obtained  power  to  translate  himself  and  his  people,  with 
the  region  they  inhabited,  their  houses,  gardens,  fields, 
cattle  and  all  their  possessions.  3  -320, 

Abraham  was  faithful  to  the  true  God,  he  overthrew 
the  idols  of  his  father  and  obtained  the  Priesthood  after  the 
order  of  Melchizedek,  which  is  after  the  order  of  the  Son 
of  God,  and  a  promise  that  of  the  increase  of  his  seed  there 
should  be  no  end,  when  you  obtain  the  holy  Priesthood, 
which  is  after  the  order  of  Melchizedek,  sealed  upon  you, 
and  the  promise  that  your  seed  shall  be  numerous  as  the 
stars  in  the  firmament,  or  as  the  sands  upon  the  sea  shore, 
and  of  your  increase  there  shall  be  no  end,  you  have  then 
got  the  promise  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  all  the 
blessings  that  were  conferred  upon  them  11:118 

If  they  had  been  sanctified  and  holy,  the  Children  of 
Israel  would  not  have  traveled  one  year  with  Moses  before 
they  would  have  received  their  endowments  and  the  Mel- 
chizedek Priesthood.  6.100 

Mankind  have  degenerated;  they  have  lost  the  physical 
and  mental  power  they  once  possessed.  In  many  points 
pertaining  to  mechanism,  men  have  in  modern  times  been 
instructed  by  revelation  to  them,  and  this  mechanical 
knowledge  causes  them  almost  to  boast  against  their 
Creator,  and  to  set  themselves  up  as  competitors  with  the 
Lord  Almighty,  notwithstanding  they  have  produced  noth- 
ing but  what  has  been  revealed  to  them.  In  the  knowledge 
of  astronomical  and  other  philosophical  truths,  which  our 


DISPENSATIONS    OF  THE  GOSPEL  163 

modern  great  men  are  searching  after  and  pride  themselves 
in,  they  are  but  babes,  compared  with  the  ancient  fathers. 
Do  the  wise  men  of  modern  ages  understand  the  laws  which 
govern  the  worlds  that  are,  that  were,  and  that  are  to  come? 
They  cannot  fathom  this  matter.  They  have  grown  weaker 
when  they  ought  to  have  grown  stronger  and  wiser.  8:61. 

Jesus  on  Earth — It  was  necessary  for  Jesus  Christ  to 
open  the  heavens  to  certain  individuals  that  they  might  be 
witnesses  of  his  personage,  death,  sufferings,  and  resurrec- 
tion ;  those  men  were  witnesses.  But  as  Jesus  appeared  to 
the  two  brethren  going  out  of  Jerusalem,  he  was  made 
known  to  them  in  the  breaking  of  bread.  Now  suppose  he 
had  eaten  that  bread,  and  gone  out  without  opening  their 
eyes,  how  could  they  have  known  that  he  was  the  Savior 
who  had  been  crucified  on  Mount  Calvary?  They  could 
not ;  but  in  the  breaking  of  bread  the  vision  of  their  minds 
was  opened.  This  was  necessary  in  order  to  constitute 
safe  witnesses,  and  they  returned  to  Jerusalem  and  told  the 
brethren  what  they  had  seen.  3  ;208. 

When  we  come  to  discriminate  between  the  former  and 
the  Latter-day  Saints  we  shall  find  there  was  a  little  dif- 
ference in  their  callings  and  duties,  and  in  many  points 
that  we  may  say  pertain  to  our  temporal  lives.  Not  in  the 
doctrine  of  baptism,  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  nor  in  the  gifts  of  the  Gospel. 
There  is  no  difference  in  these  things,  but  there  is  a  dif- 
ference in  regard  to  the  temporal  duties  devolving  upon 
us.  12:67. 

The  Apostasy— In  the  early  days  of  the  Christian 
Church  we  understand  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  specu- 
lation among  its  members  with  regard  to  their  belief  and 
practice,  and  the  propagation  of  these  speculative  idea's 


164  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

created  divisions  and  schisms.  Even  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles  there  was  evidently  considerable  division,  for  we 
read  that  some  were  for  Paul,  some  for  Apollos,  and  others 
for  Cephas.  The  people  in  those  days  had  their  favorites, 
who  taught  them  peculiar  doctrines  not  generally  received 
and  promulgated.  12  64. 

Why  have  they  wandered  so  far  from  the  path  of  truth 
and  rectitude?  Because  they  left  the  Priesthood  and  have 
had  no  guide,  no  leader,  no  means  of  finding  out  what  is 
true  and  what  is  not  true.  It  is  said  the  Priesthood  was 
taken  from  the  Church,  but  it  is  not  so,  the  Church  went 
from  the  Priesthood  and  continued  to  travel  in  the  wilder- 
ness, turned  from  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  and 
instituted  other  ordinances.  12.69. 

You  can  read  the  account  given  of  our  first  parents 
Along  came  a  certain  character  and  said  to  Eve,  you  know 
women  are  of  tender  heart;  and  he  could  operate  on  this 
tender  heart,  "The  Lord  knows  that  in  the  day  thou  eatest 
thereof  thou  shalt  not  surely  die,  but  if  thou  wilt  take  of 
this  fruit  and  eat  thereof  thine  eyes  will  be  opened  and  thou 
wilt  see  as  the  Gods  see";  and  he  worked  upon  the  tender 
heart  of  Mother  Eve  until  she  partook  of  the  fruit,  and  her 
eyes  were  opened.  He  told  the  truth.  And  they  say  now, 
"Do  this  that  your  eyes  may  be  opened,  that  you  may  see , 
do  this  that  you  may  know  thus  and  so."  In  the  days  of 
Jesus  and  his  Apostles  the  same  power  was  operating,  and, 
actuated  by  that,  men  hunted  them  until  the  last  one  was 
banished  from  human  society,  and  until  the  Christian  re- 
ligion was  so  perverted  that  the  people  received  it  with  open 
hands,  arms,  mouth  and  heart.  It  was  adulterated  until  it 
was  congenial  to  the  wicked  heart,  and  they  received  the 
Gospel  as  they  supposed.  But  that  was  the  time  they  corn- 


DISPENSATIONS    OF   THE   GOSPEL  165 

menced  little  by  little  to  trangress  the  laws,  change  the 
ordinances,  and  break  the  everlasting  covenant,  and  the 
Gospel  of  the  kingdom  that  Jesus  undertook  to  establish  in 
his  day  and  the  priesthood  were  taken  from  the  earth 
15.126. 

The  land  of  Judea  has  fallen  into  disrepute,  and  it  has 
become  a  desert,  just  through  the  apostasy  of  those  who 
once  inhabited  it,  who  had  the  oracles  of  God  among  them 
1666. 

The  Restoration — Generations  have  come  and  gone 
without  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  sound  of  the  Gospel, 
which  has  come  to  you  through  Joseph  Smith — that  was 
revealed  to  him  from  heaven  by  angels  and  visions  We 
have  the  Gospel  and  the  keys  of  the  holy  Priesthood.  7:173. 

We  are  a  people  whose  rise  and  progress  from  the  be- 
ginning, has  been  the  work  of  God  our  Heavenly  Father, 
which  in  his  wisdom  he  has  seen  proper  to  commence  for 
the  re-establishment  of  his  Kingdom  upon  the  earth.  2-170 

Do  you  think  the  Lord  Almighty  will  reveal  the  great 
improvements  in  the  arts  and  sciences  which  are  being 
constantly  made  known  and  will  not  revive  a  pure  religion? 
If  any  man  imagines  that  with  the  mighty  strides  which  the 
sciences  have  been  making  for  a  few  years  past,  there  will 
be  no  improvement  in  religion,  that  man  is  vain  in  his  im- 
agination. God  will  improve  the  religion  of  the  nations  of 
the  earth  in  proportion  to  the  improvement  made  in  the 
sciences.  This  is  true  whether  you  believe  it  or  not  The 
Lord  has  commenced  the  work,  and  it  is  a  marvelous  one 
12-325. 

It  was  decreed  in  the  counsels  of  eternity,  long  before 
the  foundations  of  the  earth  were  laid,  that  he,  Joseph 
Smith,  should  be  the  man,  in  the  last  dispensation  of  this 


166  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUKG 

world,  to  bring  forth  the  word  of  God  to  the  people,  and 
receive  the  fulness  of  the  keys  and  power  of  the  Priesthood 
of  the  Son  of  God  The  Lord  had  his  eyes  upon  him,  and 
upon  his  father,  and  upon  his  father's  father,  and  upon  their 
progenitors  clear  back  to  Abraham,  and  from  Abraham  to 
the  flood,  from  the  flood  to  Enoch,  and  from  Enoch  to 
Adam.  He  has  watched  that  family  and  that  blood  as  it 
has  circulated  from  its  fountain  to  the  birth  of  that  man. 
He  was  fore-ordamed  in  eternity  to  preside  over  this  last 
dispensation  7  289, 

But  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  our  Savior,  so  was  it  in 
the  advent  of  this  new  dispensation.  It  was  not  m  ac- 
cordance with  the  notions,  traditions,  and  pre-conceived 
ideas  of  the  American  people  The  messenger  did  not  come 
to  an  eminent  divine  of  any  of  the  so-called  orthodoxy,  he 
did  not  adopt  their  interpretation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
The  Lord  did  not  come  with  the  armies  of  heaven  in  power 
and  great  glory,  nor  send  his  messengers  panoplied  with 
aught  else  than  the  truth  of  heaven,  to  communicate  to  the 
meek,  the  lowly,  the  youth  of  humble  origin,  the  sincere 
enquirer  after  the  knowledge  of  God  But  he  did  send  his 
angel  to  this  same  obscure  person,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr  who 
afterwards  became  a  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,  and  in- 
formed him  that  he  should  not  join  any  of  the  religious 
sects  of  the  day,  for  they  were  all  wrong;  that  they  were 
following  the  precepts  of  men  instead  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
that  he  had  a  work  for  him  to  perform,  inasmuch  as  he 
should  prove  faithful  before  him. 

No  sooner  was  this  made  known,  and  published  abroad, 
and  people  began  to  listen  and  obey  the  heavenly  summons, 
than  opposition  began  to  rage,  and  the  people,  even  in  this 
favored  land,  began  to  persecute  their  neighbors  and  friends 


DISPENSATIONS    OF   THE   GOSPEL  167 

for  entertaining  religious  opinions  differing  from  their  own. 
2  171. 

You  may  remember  it  and  lay  it  to  heart,  and  if  you 
wish,  write  it  in  your  journals  that  some  of  the  best  spirits 
that  have  ever  been  sent  to  earth  are  coming  at  the  present 
time.  1M17. 

The  beginning  of  this  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 
times  may  well  be  compared  to  the  commencement  of  a 
temple,  the  material  of  which  it  is  to  be  built  being  still 
scattered,  unshaped  and  unpolished,  in*  a  state  of  nature. 
I  am  thankful  that  the  way  is  being  prepared,  and  that  we 
have  the  privilege  of  erecting  a  spiritual  and  "moral  super- 
structure— a  temple  of  God.  12  161 

The  Book  of  Mormon— There  is  not  another  nation 
under  heaven,  m  who'se  midst  the  Book  of  Mormon 
could  have  been  brought  forth.  The  Lord  has  been  oper- 
ating for  centuries  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  coming  forth 
of  the  contents  of  that  Book  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
to  be  published  to  the  world,  to  show  to  the  inhabitants 
thereof  that  he  still  lives,  and  that  he  will,  in  the  latter  days, 
gather  his  elect  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth  It  was 
the  Lord  who  directed  the  discovery  of  this  land  to  the  na- 
tions of  the  Old  World,  and  its  settlement,  and  the  war  for 
independence,  and  the  final  victory  of  the  colonies,  and  the 
unprecedented  prosperity  of  the  American  nation,  up  to 
the  calling  of  Joseph  the  Prophet  The  Lord  has  dictated 
and  directed  the  whole  of  this,  for  the  bringing  forth,  and 
establishing  of  his  Kingdom  in  the  last  days.  11  17. 

Here  is  the  Book  of  Mormon.  We  believe  it  contains 
the  history  of  the  aborigines  of  our  continent,  just  as  the 
Old  Testament  contains  the  history  of  the  Jewish  nation 
In  that  book  we  learn  that  Jesus  visited  this  continent,  de- 


168  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

livered  his  Gospel  and  ordained  Twelve  Apostles.  We  be- 
lieve all  this,  but  we  do  not  ask  you  to  believe  it.  What  we 
do  ask  is  that  you  will  believe  what  is  recorded  in  the  Holy 
Bible  concerning  God  and  his  revelations  to  the  children 
of  men.  Do  this  in  all  honesty  and  sincerity,  then  you  will 
know  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true.  Your  minds  will 
be  opened  and  you  will  know  by  the  visions  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  that  we  teach  the  truth.  13  335. 

I  was  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  coming  forth  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  not  only  through  what  I  read  in  the 
newspapers,  but  I  also  heard  a  great  many  stones  and  re- 
ports which  were  circulated  as  quick  as  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon was  printed,  and  began  to  be  scattered  abroad.  Then 
the  spirit  of  persecution,  the  spirit  of  death,  the  spirit  of 
destruction  immediately  seemed  to  enter  the  hearts  of  the 
pious  priests  more  particularly  than  any  other  portion  of 
the  people;  they  could  not  bear  it  2  249 

What  did  Oliver  Cowdery  (one  of  the  three  witnesses 
to  the  Book  of  Mormon)  say,  after  he  had  been  away  from 
the  Church  years  and  years?  lie  saw  and  conversed  with 
the  angel,  who  showed  him  the  plates,  and  he  handled  them 
He  left  the  Church  because  he  lost  the  love  of  the  truth , 
and  after  he  had  traveled  alone  for  years,  a  gentleman 
walked  into  his  law  office  and  said  to  him,  "Mr  Cowdery, 
what  do  you  think  of  the  Book  of  Mormon  now?  Do  you 
believe  that  it  is  true?"  He  replied,  "No,  sir,  I  do  not!" 
"Well,"  said  the  gentleman,  "I  thought  as  much ;  for  I  con- 
cluded that  you  had  seen  the  folly  of  your  ways  and  had 
resolved  to  renounce  what  you  once  declared  to  be  true." 
"Sir,  you  mistake  me;  I  do  not  believe  that  the  Book  of 
Mormon  is  true;  I  am  past  belief  on  that  point,  for  I 
know  that  it  is  true,  as  well  as  I  know  that  you  now  sit 


DISPENSATIONS    OF   THE   GOSPEL  169 

before  me."  "Do  you  still  testify  that  you  saw  an  angel?" 
"Yes,  as  much  as  I  see  you  now ;  and  I  know  the  Book  of 
Mormon  to  be  true."  Yet  he  forsook  it.  Every  honest 
person  who  has  fairly  heard  it  knows  that  "Mormonism"  is 
true,  if  they  have  had  the  testimony  of  it ;  but  to  practice  it 
in  our  lives  is  another  thing.  7.55. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  LAST  DAYS 

Confusion  of  the  Last  Days — The  time  is  coming  when 
a  good  man  will  be  more  precious  than  fine  gold.  10 :295. 

The  sinner  will  slay  the  sinner,  the  wicked  will  fall  upon 
the  wicked,  until  there  is  an  utter  overthrow  and  consump- 
tion upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  until  God  reigns, 
whose  right  it  is.  2 .190. 

The  world  is  drunk,  but  not  with  wine  or  strong  drink ; 
and  our  country  is  the  most  drunken  of  all.  They  are  de- 
luding themselves;  they  are  drunk  with  party  fanaticism; 
they  are  high-minded,  heady,  and  senseless,  and  are  fast 
going  to  destruction. 

Thinking  men,  inquiring  minds,  ask  whether  it  is  really 
necessary  for  the  Government  of  God  to  be  on  the  earth 
at  the  present  day;  I  answer,  most  assuredly;  there  never 
was  a  time  when  it  was  more  needed  than  it  is  now.  Why  ? 
Because  men  do  not  know  how  to  govern  themselves  with- 
out it.  Would  it  be  considered  treason  of  any  Christian 
government  in  our  day  to  profess  to  believe  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  in  the  efficacy  of  his  death  and  resurrec- 
tion for  the  salvation  of  man,  and  to  profess  and  declare 
that  it  is  his  inalienable,  indisputable  right  and  prerogative 
to  reign  over  men,  the  earth  and  all  things  upon  it?  10:320. 

If  we  live,  we  shall  see  the  nations  of  the  earth  arrayed 
against  this  people;  for  that  time  must  come,  in  fulfilment 
of  prophecy.  Tell  about  war  commencing!  Bitter  and  re- 
lentless war  was  waged  against  Joseph  Smith  before  he  had 
received  the  plates  of  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  and  from  that 
time  till  now  the  wicked  have  only  fallen  back  at  times  to 


THE    LAST    DAYS  171 

gain  strength  and  learn  how  to  attack  the  Kingdom  of  God 
5339, 

All  we  have  yet  heard  and  all  we  have  experienced  is 
scarcely  a  preface  to  the  sermon  that  is  going  to  be 
preached-  When  the  testimony  of  the  Elders  ceases  to  be 
given,  and  the  Lord  says  to  them,  "Come  home ;  I  will  now 
preach  my  own  sermons  to  the  nations  of  the  earth,"  all  you 
now  know  can  scarcely  be  called  a  preface  to  the  sermon 
that  will  be  preached  with  fire  and  sword,  tempests,  earth- 
quakes, hail,  rain,  thunders  and  lightnings,  and  fearful 
destruction  What  matters  the  destruction  of  a  few  railway 
cars  ?  You  will  hear  of  magnificient  cities,  now  idolized  by 
the  people,  sinking  in  the  earth,  entombing  the  inhabitants. 
The  sea  will  heave  itself  beyond  its  bounds,  engulfing 
mighty  cities.  Famine  will  spread  over  the  nations  and 
nation  will  rise  up  against  nation,  kingdom  against  king- 
dom and  states  against  states,  in  our  own  country  and  in 
foreign  lands ,  and  they  will  destroy  each  other,  caring  not 
for  the  blood  and  lives  of  their  neighbors,  of  their  families, 
or  for  their  own  lives  8:123. 

There  never  has  been  a  day  for  ages  and  ages,  not  since 
the  true  church  was  destroyed  after  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  that  required  the  faith  and  the  energy  of  godly 
men  and  godly  women,  and  the  skill,  wisdom  and  power  of 
the  Almighty  to  be  with  them,  so  much  as  this  people  re- 
quire it  at  the  present  time  There  never  was  that  neces- 
sity ;  there  never  has  been  a  time  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
from  the  time  that  the  church  went  to  destruction,  and  the 
Priesthood  was  taken  from  the  earth,  that  the  powers  of 
darkness  and  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  were  so  embit- 
tered, and  enraged,  and  incensed  against  God  and  Godliness 
on  the  earth,  as  they  are  at  the  present  And  when  the 


172  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

spirit  of  persecution,  the  spirit  of  hatred,  of  wrath,  and 
malice  ceases  in  the  world  against  this  people,  it  will  be  the 
time  that  this  people  have  apostatized  and  joined  hands 
with  the  wicked,  and  never  until  then ,  which  I  pray  may 
never  come  4 -326. 

The  Devil  is  just  as  much  opposed  to  Jesus  now  as  he 
was  when  the  revolt  took  place  in  heaven  And  as  the  Devil 
increases  his  numbers  by  getting  the  people  to  be  wicked, 
so  Jesus  Christ  increases  his  numbers  and  strength  by 
getting  the  people  to  be  humble  and  righteous.  The  human 
family  are  going  to  the  polls  by  and  by,  and  they  wish  to 
know  which  party  is  going  to  carry  the  day.  4  38 

Ultimate  Triumph  of  Righteousness—I  most  assuredly 
expect  that  the  time  will  come  when  every  tongue  shall 
confess,  and  every  knee  shall  bow  to  the  Savior,  though  the 
people  may  believe  what  they  will  with  regard  to  religion. 
2.189 

The  Savior  will  dictate  his  Kingdom,  through  his 
Apostles  and  Prophets,  until  all  the  heathen  nations  are 
virtually  redeemed  by  the  ordinances  that  effect  redemp- 
tion, that  they  may  inherit  the  kingdom  that  is  prepared  for 
them.  883. 

This  is  a  day  of  days,  and  a  time  of  times ,  this  is  the  ful- 
ness of  times,  in  which  all  things  that  are  in  Christ  are  to 
be  gathered  in  one.  This  is  a  momentous  period.  10 .308. 

I  expect  to  see  the  time  when  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  will  pride  themselves  in  doing  good.  8 .363. 

The  time  will  conie  when  every  knee  will  bow,  and  every 
tongue  confess  to  and  acknowledge  him,  and  when  they 
who  have  lived  upon  the  earth  and  have  spurned  the  idea 
of  a  Supreme  Being  and  of  revelations  from  him,  will  fall 
with  shatnefacedness  and  humble  themselves  before  him, 


THE    LAST    DAYS  173 

exclaiming,  "There  is  a  God'  0  God,  we  once  rejected  thee 
and  disbelieved  thy  word  and  set  at  naught  thy  counsels, 
but  now  we  bow  down  in  shame  and  we  do  acknowledge 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ"  This 
time  will  come,  most  assuredly.  We  have  the  faith  of  the 
Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  13  306 

What  will  they  do?  They  will  hear  of  the  wisdom  of 
Zion  and  the  kings  and  potentates  of  the  nations  will  come 
up  to  Zion  to  inquire  after  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
seek  out  the  great  knowledge,  wisdom  and  understanding 
manifested  through  the  Saints  of  the  Most  High.  They 
will  inform  the  people  of  God  that  they  belong  to  such 
and  such  a  church,  and  do  not  wish  to  change  their  religion 

They  will  be  drawn  to  Zion  by  the  great  wisdom  dis- 
played there,  and  will  attribute  it  to  the  cunning  and  crafti- 
ness of  men.  It  will  be  asked,  "What  do  you  want  to  do, 
ye  strangers  from  afar?"  "We  want  to  live  our  own  re- 
ligion." "Will  you  bow  the  knee  before  God  with  us?"  "0 
yes,  we  would  as  soon  do  it  as  not" ;  and  at  that  time  every 
knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  acknowledge  that  God 
who  is  the  framer  and  maker  of  all  things,  the  governor  and 
controller  of  the  universe.  They  will  have  to  bow  the  knee 
and  confess  that  he  is  God,  and  that  Jesus  Christ,  who 
suffered  for  the  sms  of  the  world,  is  actually  its  Redeemer, 
that  by  the  shedding  of  his  blood  he  has  redeemed  men, 
women,  children,  beasts,  birds,  fish,  the  earth  itself,  and 
everything  that  John  saw  and  heard  praising  in  heaven. 
2316-317. 

By  and  by  the  world  will  be  overturned  according  to 
the  words  of  the  prophet,  and  we  will  see  the  reign  of 
righteousness  enter  in,  and  sin  and  iniquity  will  have  to 
walk  off  But  the  power  and  principles  of  evil,  if  they  can 


1/4  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

be  called  principles,  will  never  yield  one  particle  to  the 
righteous  march  of  the  Savior,  only  as  they  are  beaten  back 
inch  by  inch,  and  we  have  got  to  take  the  ground  by  force. 
Yes,  by  the  mental  force  of  faith,  and  by  good  works,  the 
march  forth  of  the  Gospel  will  increase,  spread,  grow  and 
prosper,  until  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  feel  that  Jesus 
has  the  right  to  rule  King  of  nations  as  he  does  King  of 
Saints.  14:226. 

Return  to  Jackson  County — When  are  we  going  back  to 
Jackson  County?  Not  until  the  Lord  commands  his  peo- 
ple; and  it  is  just  as  much  as  you  and  I  can  do  to  get  ready 
to  go  when  he  does  command  us  6  269. 

If  that  is  back  to  Jackson  County,  do  not  be  scared,  for 
as  the  Lord  lives  this  people  will  go  back  and  build  a  great 
temple  there.  This  people  will  surely  go  back  to  Jackson 
County.  How  soon  that  may  be,  or  when  it  may  be,  I  do 
not  care ,  but  that  is  not  now  the  gathering  place  for  this 
people.  '3  278 

Where  is  the  center  Stake  of  Zion  ?  In  Jackson  County, 
Missouri  8.198 

There  has  been  considerable  said  this  afternoon  with  re- 
gard to  redeeming  and  building  up  Zion,  the  Order  of 
Enoch,  etc  I  see  men  and  women  in  this  congregation- 
only  a  few  of  them — who  were  driven  from  the  central 
Stake  of  Zion  Ask  them  if  they  had  any  sorrow  or  trou- 
ble ,  then  let  them  look  at  the  beautiful  land  that  the  Lord 
would  have  given  them  if  all  had  been  faithful  in  keeping 
his  commandments,  and  had  walked  before  him  as  they 
should;  and  then  ask  them  with  regard  to  the  blessings 
they  would  have  received  If  they  tell  you  the  sentiments 
of  their  minds,  they  will  tell  you  that  the  yoke  of  Jesus 
would  have  been  easy  and  his  burden  would  have  been 


THE   LAST   DAYS  175 

light,  and  that  it  would  have  been  a  delightful  task  to  have 
walked  in  obedience  to  his  commandments  and  to  have 
been  of  one  heart  and  one  mind,  but  through  the  selfish- 
ness of  some,  which  is  idolatry,  through  their  covetousness, 
which  is  the  same,  and  the  lustful  desire  of  their  minds, 
they  were  cast  out  and  driven  from  their  homes.  We  have 
been  driven  many  times;  but  each  time,  if  they  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  the  servants  of  God  had  served  him  with  an 
undivided  heart,  they  would  have  had  the  privilege  of  liv- 
ing m  their  houses,  possessing  their  lands,  attending  to  their 
meetings,  and  spreading  abroad  on  the  right  and  the  left, 
lengthening  the  cords  of  Zion,  and  strengthening  her 
stakes  until  the  land  had  been  dedicated  to  the  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God.  Well,  I  have  been  with  the  rest  and  I  ex- 
pect I  have  been  covetous  like  them,  and  probably  I  am 
now ;  but  if  I  am,  I  wish  somebody  would  tell  me  wherein. 
13  1. 

Coming  of  Christ— Do  you  know  that  it  is  the  eleventh 
hour  of  the  reign  of  Satan  on  the  earth  ?  Jesus  is  coming 
to  reign,  and  all  you  who  fear  and  tremble  because  of  your 
enemies,  cease  to  fear  them,  and  learn  to  fear  to  offend  God, 
fear  to  transgress  his  laws,  fear  to  do  any  evil  to  your 
brother,  or  to  any  being  upon  the  earth,  and  do  not  fear 
Satan  and  his  power,  nor  those  who  have  only  power  to 
slay  the  body,  for  God  will  preserve  his  people.  10  250. 

In  the  progress  of  the  age  in  which  we  live,  we  discern 
the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  and  the  preparation  for  the  sec- 
ond coming  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  to  dwell  upon  the 
earth  We  expect  that  the  refuge  of  lies  will  be  swept 
away,  and  that  city,  nation,  government,  or  kingdom  which 
serves  not  God,  and  gives  no  heed  to  the  principles  of  truth 
and  religion,  will  be  utterly  wasted  away  and  destroyed. 
2.178. 


176  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

Jesus  has  been  upon  the  earth  a  great  many  more  times 
than  you  are  aware  o'f.  When  Jesus  makes  his  next  appear- 
ance upon  the  earth,  but  few  of  this  Church  will  be  pre- 
pared to  receive  him  and  see  him  face  to  face  and  converse 
with  him ,  but  he  will  come  to  his  temple.  Will  he  remain 
and  dwell  upon  the  earth  a  thousand  years,  without  re- 
turning? He  will  come  here,  and  return  to  his  mansions 
where  he  dwells  with  his  Father,  and  come  again  to  the 
earth,  and  again  return  to  his  Father,  according  to  my  un- 
derstanding. Then  angels  will  come  and  begin  to  resurrect 
the  dead,  and  the  Savior  will  also  raise  the  dead,  and  they 
will  receive  the  keys  of  the  resurrection,  and  will  begin  to 
assist  in  that  work.  Will  the  wicked  know  of  it?  They 
will  know  just  as  much  about  that  as  they  now  know  about 
"Mormonism,"  and  no  more.  7  142. 

When  your  eyes  are  open,  you  will  see  that  this  earth 
has  fallen  from  the  glory  and  presence  of  the  Father,  to 
pass  through  certain  ordeals,  together  with  the  people  upon 
it  And  by  and  by,  when  Jesus  reigns  and  rules,  King  of 
nations,  he  will  say  to  his  Father,  "Here  is  my  work !  Here 
are  my  brethren !  Here  is  my  redemption — the  fruit  of  my 
labor !  I  have  ceased  not  to  contend  with  the  Enemy  until 
I  have  put  him  under  my  feet  I  have  destroyed  death,  and 
him  that  has  the  power  of  death."  8 :297, 

At  times  I  may  to  many  of  the  brethren  appear  to  be 
severe.  I  sometimes  chasten  them;  but  it  is  because  I  wish 
them  to  live  so  that  the  power  of  God,  like  a  flame  of  fire, 
will  dwell  within  them  and  be  around  about  them.  These 
are  my  feelings  and  desires.  I  wish  to  see  this  people  take 
a  course  to  bring  back  the  days,  years,  and  intelligence  that 
have  been  lost  through  transgression.  This  cannot  be  per- 
formed in  a  day.  Zion  will  not  be  redeemed  and  built  up 


THE   LAST   DAYS  177 

m  a  day     Israel  will  not  be  brought  back  to  the  fold  of 
Christ  and  redeemed  in  a  day    8  62, 

The  Millennium— The  'Millennium  consists  in  this—- 
every heart  in  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  being  united 
in  one;  the  Kingdom  increasing  to  the  overcoming  of 
everything  opposed  to  the  economy  of  heaven,  and  Satan 
being  bound,  and  having  a  seal  set  upon  him.  All  things 
else  will  be  as  they  are  now,  we  shall  eat,  drink,  and  wear 
clothing.  1 :203. 

When  all  nations  are  so  subdued  to  Jesus  that  every 
knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  shall  confess,  there  will 
still  be  millions  on  the  earth  who  will  not  believe  in  him , 
but  they  will  be  obliged  to  acknowledge  his  kingly  govern- 
ment, 7,142, 

Let  the  people  be  holy,  and  the  earth  under  their  feet 
will  be  holy.  Let  the  people  be  holy,  and  filled  with  the 
Spirit  of  God,  and  every  animal  and  creeping  thing  will  be 
filled  with  peace;  the  soil  of  the  earth  will  bring  forth  in 
its  strength,  and  the  fruits  thereof  will  be  meat  for  man' 
The  more  purity  that  exists,  the  less  is  the  strife ,  the  more 
kind  we  are  to  our  animals,  the  more  will  peace  increase, 
and  the  savage  nature  of  the  brute  creation  vanish  away. 
If  the  people  will  not  serve  the  Devil  another  moment 
whilst  they  live,  if  this  congregation  is  possessed  of  that 
spirit  and  resolution,  here  in  this  house  is  the  Millennium. 
Let  the  inhabitants  of  this  city  be  possessed  of  that  spirit, 
let  the  people  of  the  territory  be  possessed  of  that  spirit, 
and  here  is  the  Millennium,  and  so  will  it  spread  over  all  the 
world.  1:203 

In  the  Millennium,  when  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  estab- 
lished on  the  earth  in  power,  glory  and  perfection,  and  the 
reign  of  wickedness  that  has  so  long  prevailed  is  subdued, 


178  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG  , 

the  Saints  of  God  will  have  the  privilege  of  building  their 
temples,  and  of  entering  into  them,  becoming,  as  it  were, 
pillars  in  the  temples  of  God,  and  they  will  officiate  for 
their  dead.  Then  we  will  see  our  friends  come  up,  and  per- 
haps some  that  we  have  been  acquainted  with  here.  If  we 
ask  who  will  stand  at  the  head  of  the  resurrection  in  this 
last  dispensation,  the  answer  is — Joseph  Smith,  Junior,  the 
Prophet  of  God.  He  is  the  man  who  will  be  resurrected 
and  receive  the  keys  of  the  resurrection,  and  he  .will  seal 
this  authority  upon  others,  and  they  will  hunt  up  their 
friends  and  resurrect  them  when  they  shall  have  been  offi- 
ciated for,  and  bring  them  up.  And  we  will  have  revela- 
tions to  know  our  forefathers  clear  back  to  Father  Adam 
and  Mother  Eve,  and  we  will  enter  into  the  temples  of  God 
and  officiate  for  them.  Then  man  will  be  sealed  to  man 
until  the  chain  is  made  perfect  back  to  Adam,  so  that  there 
will  be  a  perfect  chain  of  priesthood  from  Adam  to  the 
wmding-up  scene. 

This  will  be  the  work  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  the 
Millennium.  15:138. 

When  Jesus  comes  to  rule  and  reign,  King  of  nations, 
as  he  now  does,  King  of  Saints,  the  veil  of  the  covering  will 
be  taken  from  all  nations,  that  all  flesh  may  see  his  glory 
together,  but  that  will  not  make  them  all  Saints.  Seeing 
the  Lord  does  not  make  a  man  a  Saint;  seeing  an  angel 
does  not  make  a  man  a  Saint  by  any  means.  A  man  may 
see  the  finger  of  the  Lord,  and  not  thereby  become  a  Saint  ; 
the  veil  of  the  covering  may  be  taken  from  before  the  na- 
tions, and  all  flesh  see  his  glory  together,  and  at  the  same 
time  declare  they  will  not  serve  him  2 :316. 

Rapid  Movements  in  the  Last  Days— Do  you  under- 
stand that  what  the  Lord  will  perform  in  the  latter  days  will 


THE   LAST   DAYS  179 

be  done  quicker  than  in  the  former  days?  He  suffered 
Noah  to  occupy  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  in  building 
the  ark.  Were  he  to  command  us  to  build  an  ark,  he  would 
not  allow  so  long  a  time  for  completing  it.  8  134. 

If  I  live  as  long  as  Enoch  lived,  who  walked  with  the 
Lord  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  years,  can  I  then  see  a 
people  prepared  to  enter  at  once  in  the  celestial  world  ?  No. 
Many  may  think  that  Enoch  and  his  whole  city  were  taken 
from  the  earth  directly  into  the  presence  of  God.  That  is 
a  mistaken  idea.  If,  within  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
years,  I  can  see  a  people  capable  of  surmounting  every  sin, 
of  overcoming  every  evil  and  effect  of  sin  to  such  a  degree 
as  to  be  separated  in  the  flesh  from  the  sinful  portion  of 
the  world  and  from  all  the  effects  of  the  fall—a  great  peo- 
ple as  pure  and  holy  as  were  the  people  of  Enoch,  I  should 
not  complain,  and,  perhaps,  have  no  cause  to  Yet,  in  the 
latter  days,  God  will  cut  short  his  work  in  righteousness. 
8:134. 

According  to  my  definition  of  the  word,  there  is  not  a 
strictly  and  fully  civilized  community  now  upon  the  earth 
Is  there  murder  by  wholesale  to  be  found  in  a  strictly 
civilized  community?'  Will  a  community  of  civilized  na- 
tions rise  up  one  against  another,  nation  against  nation, 
and  kingdom  against  kingdom,  using  against  each  other 
every  destructive  invention  that  can  be  brought  to  bear  in 
their  wars?  When  will  they  be  civilized?  When  the  Lord 
shall  judge  among  the  nations,  and  shall  rebuke  many  peo- 
ple; and  they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruninghooks ;  when  nations  shall  not 
lift  up  sword  against  nation,  neither  learn  war  any  more. 
When  the  world  is  in  a 'state  of  true  civilization,  man  will 
have  ceased  to  contend  against  his  fellow-man,  either  as 


180  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

individuals,  parties,  communities,  sects,  or  nations.  This 
state  of  civilization  will  be  brought  about  by  the  holy 
Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God ;  and  men,  with  full  purpose 
of  heart,  will  seek  unto  him  who  is  pure  and  holy,  even 
our 'great  Creator— our  Father  and  God;  and  he  will  give 
them  a  law  that  is  pure — a  government  and  plan  of  society 
possessed  by  holy  beings  in  heaven.  Then  there  will  be  no 
more  war,  no  more  bloodshed,  no  more  evil  speaking  and 
evil  doing ;  but  all  will  be  contented  to  follow  in  the  path 
of  truth,  which  alone  is  calculated  to  exalt  and  dignify  the 
whole  man,  mentally  and  physically,  in  all  his  operations, 
labors,  and  purposes.  Short  of  this,  mankind  cannot  be 
said  to  be  truly  civilized.  8 .6-7, 

Then,  do  not  be  too  anxious  for  the  Lord  to  hasten  his 
work.  Let  our  anxiety  be  centered  upon  one  thing,  the 
sanctification  of  our  own  hearts,  the  purifying  of  our  own 
affections,  the  preparing  of  ourselves  for  the  approach  of 
the  events  that  are  hastening  upon  us.  This  should  be  our 
concern,  this  should  be  our  study,  this  should  be  our  daily 
prayer,  and  not  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  see  the  overthrow  of  the 
wicked.  9:3. 

Whether  the  world  is  going  to  be  burned  up  within  a 
year,  or  within  a  thousand  years,  does  not  matter  a  groat  to 
you  and  me.  We  have  the  words  of  eternal  life,  we  have 
the  privilege  of  obtaining  glory,  immortality,  and  eternal 
lives,  now  will  you  obtain  these  blessings  ?  4  '53 

This  is  the  day  in  which  we  are  to  learn  and  to  in- 
crease in  our  knowledge.  4 :204. 

The  Lord's  time  is  not  for  me  to  know,  but  he  is  kind, 
long-suffering,  and  patient,  and  his  wrath  endureth  silently, 
and  will  until  mercy  is  completely  exhausted,  and  then 
judgment  will  take  the  reins.  I  do  not  know  how,  neither 


THE    LAST    DAYS  181 

do  I  at  present  wish  to  know.  It  is  enough  for  us  to  know 
how  to  serve  our  God  and  live  our  religion,  and  thus  we 
will  increase  in  the  favor  of  God  4  371 

It  is  too  late  in  the  day  for  this  people  ever  to  be  cast 
off  and  disowned  by  the  Lord.  The  work  the  Lord  prom- 
ised to  do  is  too  nigh  accomplished,  and  he  has  promised  to 
make  a  short  work  on  the  earth.  This  work  has  some  time 
since  commenced;  and  if  any  of  the  people  will  not  serve 
their  God  and  do  the  work  he  has  given  them  to  do,  they 
will  be  removed  out  of  the  way,  and  that  speedily.  It  is  too 
late  in  the  day  for  this  people  to  apostatize  and  the  Priest- 
hood to  be  taken  again  from  the  earth;  so  there  is  not  much 
ground  for  fears  even  in  this  respect.  6 :267. 

Zion — Where  is  Zion?  Where  the  organization  of  the 
Church  of  God  is.  And  may  it  dwell  spiritually  in  every 
heart;  and  may  we  so  live  as  to  enjoy  the  spirit  of  Zion 
always!  8-205, 

Do  we  realize  that  if  we  enjoy  a  Zion  in  time  or  in  eter- 
nity we  must  make  it  for  ourselves ?  That  all,  who  have  a 
Zion  in  the  eternities  of  the  Gods,  organized,  framed,  con- 
solidated, and  perfected  it  themselves,  and  consequently 
are  entitled  to  enjoy  it?  9:282. 

This  is  the  Gospel;  this  is  the  plan  of  salvation;  this  is 
the  Kingdom  of  God ;  this  is  the  Zion  that  has  been  spoken 
and  written  of  by  all  the  Prophets  since  the  world  began 
This  is  the  work  of  Zion  which  the  Lord  has  promised  to 
bring  forth.  12-172. 

When  we  conclude  to  make  a  Zion  we  will  make  it,  and 
this  work  commences  in  the  heart  of  each  person  When 
the  father  of  a  family  wishes  to  make  a  Zion  in  his  own 
house,  he  must  take  the  lead  in  this  good  work,  which  it  is 
impossible  for  him  to  do  unless  he  himself  possesses  the 


182  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

spirit  of  Zion  Before  lie  can  produce  the  work  of  sanctifi- 
cation  in  his  family,  he  must  sanctify  himself,  and  by  this 
means  God  can  help  him  to  sanctify  his  family.  9  283 

There  is  not  one  thing  wanting  in  all  the  works  of  God's 
hands  to  make  a  Zion  upon  the  earth  when  the  people  con- 
clude to  make  it.  We  can  make  a  Zion  of  God  on  earth  at 
our  pleasure,  upon  the  same  principle  that  we  can  raise  a 
field  of  wheat,  or  build  and  inhabit.  There  has  been  no 
time  when  the  material  has  not  been  here  from  which  to 
produce  corn,  wheat,  etc,  and  by  the  judicious  manage- 
ment and  arrangement  of  this  ever-existing  material  a  Zion 
of  God  can  always  be  built  on  the  earth.  9 .283. 

Let  me  say  a  few  words  with  regard  to  Zion  We  pro- 
fess to  be  Zion.  If  we  are  the  pure  in  heart  we  are  so,  for 
"Zion  is  the  pure  in  heart."  Now  when  Zion  is  built  up  and 
reigns,  the  question  may  arise  with  some,  will  all  be  Latter- 
day  Saints?  No  Will  there  be  this  variety  of  classes  and 
faiths  that  we  now  behold  ?  I  do  not  know  whether  there 
will  be  as  many,  or  whether  there  will  be  more.  But  be 
that  as  it  may,  Jesus  has  gone  to  prepare  mansions  for 
every  creature.  Who  will  go  down  as  "sons  of  perdition" 
and  receive  the  reward  of  the  damned?  None  but  those 
who  have  sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost  All  others  will  be 
gathered  into  kingdoms  where  there  will  be  a  certain 
amount  of  peace  and  glory.  Will  the  Methodists  have  their 
heaven  ?  I  will  venture  to  say  that  John  Wesley,  if  he  never 
hears  the  Gospel  preached  in  the  world  of  spirits,  will  enjoy 
all  the  happiness  and  glory  that  he  ever  thought  of.  And 
so  it  will  be  with  others,  I  mention  him  merely  because  he 
is  a  noted  character.  In  all  those  kingdoms  the  people  will 
be  as  varied  as  they  are  here.  In  the  Millennium  men  will 
have  the  privilege  of  their  own  belief,  but  they  will  not  have 


THE  LAST  DAYS  183 

the  privilege  of  treating  the  name  and  character  of  Deity  as 
they  have  done  heretofore.    No,  but  every  knee  shall  bow 
and  every  tongue  confess  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ.    12 :274. 
12:274. 

My  spiritual  enjoyment  must  be  obtained  by  my  own 
life,  but  it  would  add  much  to  the  comfort  of  the  com- 
munity, and  to  my  happiness,  as  one  with  them,  if  every 
man  and  woman  would  live  their  religion,  and  enjoy  the 
light  and  glory  of  the  Gospel  for  themselves,  be  passive, 
humble,  and  faithful;  rejoice  continually  before  the  Lord, 
attend  to  the  business  they  are  called  to  do,  and  be  sure 
never  to  do  any  thing  j?vrong. 

All  would  then  be  peace,  joy,  and  tranquility,  in  our 
streets  and  in  our  houses.  Litigation  would  cease,  there 
would  be  no'  difficulties  before  the  High  Council  and 
Bishops'  Courts,  and  courts,  turmoil,  and  strife  would  not 
be  known. 

Then  we  would  have  Zion,  for  all  would  be  pure  in 
heart  3:255. 

The  Land  of  Zion— This  is  the  land  of  Zion.  West  of 
us  is  a  body  of  water  that  we  call  the  Pacific,  and  to  the 
east  there  is  another  large  body  of  water  which  we  call  the 
Atlantic,  and  to  the  north  is  where  they  have  tried  to  dis- 
cover a  northwest  passage ;  these  waters  surround  the  land 
of  Zion.  4:301. 

And  what  is  Zion?  In  one  sense  Zion  is  the  pure  in 
heart.  But  is  there  a  land  that  ever  will  be  called  Zion? 
Yes,  brethren.  What  land  is  it?  It  is  the  land  that  the 
Lord  gave  to  Jacob,  who  bequeathed  it  to  his  son  Joseph, 
and  his  posterity,  and  they  inhabit  it,  and  that  land  is 
North  and  South  America.  That  is  Zion,  as  to  land,  as  to 


184  DISCOURSES   OF    BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

territory,  and  location  The  children  of  Zion  have  not  yet 
much  in  their  possession,  but  their  territory  is  North  and 
South  America  to  begin  with.  As  to  the  spirit  of  Zion,  it 
is  in  the  hearts  of  the  Saints  of  those  who  love  and  serve 
the  Lord  with  all  their  might,  mind  and  strength.  2  253 

This  American  continent  will  be  Zion ;  for  it  is  so  spoken 
of  by  the  prophets.  Jerusalem  will  be  rebuilt  and  will  be 
the  place  of  gathering,  and  the  tribe  of  Judah  will  gather 
there;  but  this  continent  of  America  is  the  land  of  Zion 
5:4. 

This  is  the  land  of  Zion-  -this  is  the  continent  whereon 
the  Lord  has  commenced  his  work  for  the  last  time,  and 
whereon  Jesus  will  make  his  appearance  the  second  time, 
when  he  comes  to  gather  and  save  the  House  of  Israel. 
881-2 

Zion  will  extend,  eventually,  all  over  this  earth,  There 
will  be  no  nook  or  corner  upon  the  earth  but  what  will  be 
in  Zion  It  will  all  be  Zion  9:138 

The  City  of  Zion— We  look  forward  to  the  day  when  the 
Lord  will  prepare  for  the  building  of  the  New  Jerusalem, 
preparatory  to  the  City  of  Enoch's  going  to  be  joined  with 
it  when  it  is  built  upon  this  earth.  We  are  anticipating  to 
enjoy  that  day,  whether  we  sleep  in  death  previous  to  that, 
or  not.  We  look  forward,  with  all  the  anticipation  and  con- 
fidence that  children  can  possess  in  a  parent,  that  we  shall 
be  there  when  Jesus  comes;  and  if  we  are  not  there,  we 
will  come  with  him .  in  either  case  we  shall  be  there  when 
becomes.  8:342. 

We  want  all  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  understand  how 
to  build  up  Zion.  The  City  of  Zion,  in  beauty  and  magnifi- 
cence, will  outstrip  anything  that  is  now  known  upon  the 
earth.  The  curse  will  be  taken  from  the  earth  and  sin  and 


THE  LAST  DAYS  185 

corruption  will  be  swept  from  its  face.  Who  will  do  this 
great  work?  Is  the  Lord  going  to  convince  the  people  that 
he  will  redeem  the  center  Stake  of  Zion,  beautify  it  and 
then  place  them  there  without  an  exertion  on  their  part? 
No.  He  will  not  come  here  to  build  a  Temple,  a  Taber- 
nacle, a  Bowery,  or  to  set  out  fruit  trees,  make  aprons  of 
fig  leaves  or  coats  of  skins,  or  work  in  brass  and  iron,  for 
we  already  know  how  to  do  these  things  He  will  not  come 
here  to  teach  us  how  to  raise  and  manufacture  cotton,  how 
to  make  hand  cards,  how  to  card,  how  to  make  spinning 
machines,  looms,  etc.,  etc.  We  have  to  build  up  Zion,  if 
we  do  our  duty  10  172. 

I  have  many  times  asked  the  questions,  "Where  is  the 
man  that  knows  how  to  lay  the  first  rock  for  the  wall  that 
is  to  surround  the  New  Jerusalem  or  the  Zion  of  God  on 
the  earth?  Where  is  the  man  who  knows  how  to  con- 
struct the  first  gate  of  the  city?  Where  is  the  man  who 
understands  how  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  its 
purity  and  to  prepare  for  Zion  to  come  down  to  meet  it?" 
"Well,"  says  one,  "I  thought  the  Lord  was  going  to  do 
this "  So  he  is  if  we  will  let  him.  This  is  what  we  want . 
we  want  the  people  to  be  willing  for  the  Lord  to  do  it  But 
he  will  do  it  by  means.  He  will  not  send  his  angels 
to  gather  up  the  rock  to  build  up  the  New  Jerusalem.  He 
will  not  send  his  angels  from  the  heavens  to  go  to  the 
mountains  to  cut  the  timber  and  make  it  into  lumber  to 
adorn  the  City  of  Zion  He  has  called  upon  us  to  do  this 
work;  and  if  we  will  let  him  work  by,  through,  and  with 
us,  he  can  accomplish  it;  otherwise  we  shall  fall  short,  and 
shall  never  have  the  honor  of  building  up  Zion  on  the  earth 
13:313. 

Purpose  of  Gathering— A  remnant  of  the  people  of  Israel 


186  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

are  to  be  saved,  and  they  will  yet  be  gathered  together 
16  109. 

Ephraim  has  become  mixed  with  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  and  it  is  Ephraim  that  is  gathering  together  2  -268 

We  are  gathering  the  people  as  fast  as  we  can.  We  are 
gathering  them  to  make  Saints  of  them  and  of  ourselves 
9-137-8 

We  have  been  gathered  to  the  valleys  of  these  moun- 
tains for  the  express  purpose  of  purifying  ourselves,  that  we 
may  become  polished  stones  in  the  temple  of  God.  We  are 
here  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  the  earth.  To  be  prepared  for  this  work  it  has  been 
necessary  to  gather  us  out  from  the  nations  and  countries 
of  the  world,  for  if  we  had  remained  in  those  lands  we  could 
not  have  received  the  ordinances  of  the  holy  Priesthood  of 
the  Son  of  God,  which  are  necessary  for  the  perfection  of 
the  Saints  preparatory  to  his  coming  12  161 

The  Jews  and  Jerusalem — Jerusalem  is  not  to  be  re- 
deemed by  our  going  there  and  preaching  to  the  inhabitants 
It  will  be  redeemed  by  the  high  hand  of  the  Almighty.  It 
will  be  given  into  the  possession  of  the  ancient  Israelites 
by  the  power  of  God,  and  by  the  pouring  out  of  his  judg- 
ments. 2.141. 

Jerusalem  is  not  to  be  redeemed  by  the  soft,  still  voice 
of  the  preacher  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  Why?  Because 
they  were  once  the  blessed  of  the  Lord,  the  chosen  of  the 
Lord,  the  promised  seed.  They  were  the  people  from 
among  whom  should  spring  the  Messiah,  and  salvation 
could  be  found  only  through  that  people.  The  Messiah 
came  through  them,  and  they  killed  him;  and  they  will  be 
the  last  of  all  the  seed  of  Abraham  to  have  the  privilege  of 
receiving  the  New  and  Everlasting  Covenant  You  may 


THE  LAST  DAYS  187 

hand  out  to  them  gold,  you  may  feed  and  clothe  them,  but 
it  is  impossible  to  convert  the  Jews,  until  the  Lord  God 
Almighty  does  it  2  142, 

By  and  "by  the  Jews  will  be  gathered  to  the  land  of  their 
fathers,  and  the  ten  tribes,  who  wandered  into  the  north, 
will  be  gathered  home,  and  the  blood  of  Ephraim,  the  sec- 
ond son  of  Joseph,  who  was  sold  into  Egypt,  which  is  to 
be  found  in  every  kingdom  and  nation  under  heaven,  will 
be  gathered  from  among  the  Gentiles,  and  the  Gentiles  who 
will  receive  and  adhere  to  the  principles  of  the  .Gospel  will 
be  adopted  and  initiated  into  the  family  of  Father  Abra- 
ham, and  Jesus  will  reign  over  his  own  and  Satan  will 
reign  over  his  own  12 .38. 

We  have  a  great  desire  for  their  welfare,  and  are  looking 
for  the  time  soon  to  come  when  they  will  gather  at  Jeru- 
salem, build  up  the  city  and  the  land  of  Palestine,  and  pre- 
pare for  the  coming  of  the  Messiah.  When  he  cornes  again, 
he  will  not  come  as  he  did  when  the  Jews  rejected  him, 
neither  will  he  appear  first  at  Jerusalem  when  he  makes 
his  second  appearance  on  the  earth ;  but  he  will  appear  first 
on  the  land  where  he  commenced  his  work  in  the  begin- 
ning, and  planted  the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  that  was  done  in 
the  land  of  America. 

When  the  Savior  visits  Jerusalem,  and  the  Jews  look 
upon  him,  and  see  the  wounds  in  his  hands  and  in  his  side 
and  in  his  feet,  they  will  then  know  that  they  have  perse- 
cuted and  ,put  to  death  the  true  Messiah,  and  then  they  will 
acknowledge  him,  but  not  till  then.  They  have  confounded 
his  first  and  second  coming,  expecting  his  first  coming  to 
be  as  a  mighty  prince  instead  of  as  a  servant.  They  will  go 
back  by  and  by  to  Jerusalem  and  own  their  Lord  and 
Master.  We  have  no  feelings  against  them.  11 :279. 


188  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

The  Indians  or  Lamanites— The  Lamanites  or  Indians 
are  just  as  much  the  children  of  our  Father  and  God  as  we 
are,  So  also  are  the  Africans  But  we  are  also  the  chil- 
dren of  adoption  through  obedience  to  the  Gospel  of  his 
Son.  11  272. 

I  spoke  a  harsh  word  yesterday  with  regard  to  a  man 
who  professes  to  be  a  Latter-day  Saint  who  has  been  guilty 
of  killing  an  innocent  Indian.  I  say  today  that  he  is  just 
as  much  a  murderer  through  killing  that  Indian,  as  he  would 
have  been  had  he  shot  down  a  white  man.  To  slay  an  in- 
nocent person  is  murder  according  to  the  law  of  Moses 
11  263. 

We  could  circumscribe  their  camps  and  kill  every  man, 
woman  and  child  of  them  This  is  what  others  have  done, 
and  if  we  were  to  do  it,  what  better  are  we  than  the  wicked 
and  the  ungodly  ^  It  is  our  duty  to  rbe  better  than  they  in 
our  administrations  of  justice  and  our  general  conduct  to- 
ward the  Lamanites.  It  is  not  our  duty  to  kill  them ;  but  it 
is  our  duty  to  save  their  lives  and  the  lives  of  their  chil- 
dren. 11-264. 

There  is  a  curse  on  these  aborigines  of  our  country  who 
roam  the  plains,  and  are  so  wild  that  you  cannot  tame  them 
They  are  of  the  House  of  Israel;  they  once  had  the  Gospel 
delivered  to  them,  they  had  the  oracles  of  truth;  Jesus 
came  and  administered  to  them  after  his  resurrection,  and 
they  received  and  delighted  in  the  Gospel  until  the  fourth 
generation  when  they  turned  away  and  became  so  wicked 
that  God  cursed  them  with  this  dark  and  benighted  and 
loathsome  condition  14 .86. 

As  we  have  here  an  assemblage  of  the  people  from  other 
settlements,  I  wish  to  impress  them  with  the  necessity  of 
treating  the  Indians  with  kindness,  and  to  refrain  from  har- 


THE  LAST  DAYS  189 

boring  that  revengeful,  vindictive  feeling  that  many  in- 
dulge in.  I  am  convinced  that  as  long  as  we  harbor  in  us 
such  feelings  toward  them,  so  long  they  will  be  our 
enemies,  and  the  Lord  will  suffer  them  to  afflict  us.  I  cer- 
tainly believe  that  the  present  affliction,  which  has  come 
upon  us  from  the  Indians,  is  a  consequence  of  the  wicked- 
ness which  dwells  in  the  hearts  of  some  of  our  brethren. 
If  the  Elders  of  Israel  had  always  treated  the  Lamamtes  as 
they  should,  I  do  not  believe  that  we  should  have  had  any 
difficulty  with  them  at  all.  This  is  my  firm  conviction,  and 
my  conclusion  according  to  the  light  that  is  in  me.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  Lord  permits 'them  to  chasten  us  at  the  pres- 
ent time  to  convince  us  that  we  have  to  overcome  the  vin- 
dictive feelings  which  we  have  harbored  towards  that  poor, 
downtrodden  branch  of  the  House  of  Israel.  1 1 :263. 

Do  we  wish  to  do  right?  You  answer,  yes.  Then  let 
the  Lamanites  come  back  to  their  homes,  where  they  were 
born  and  brought  up.  This  is  the  land  that  they  and  their 
fathers  have  walked  over  and  called  their  own;  and  they 
have  just  as  good  a  right  to  call  it  theirs  today  as  any  peo- 
ple have  to  call  any  land  their  own.  They  have  buried  their 
fathers  and  mothers  and  children  here;  this  is  their  home, 
and  we  have  taken  possession  of  it,  and  occupy  the  land 
where  they  used  to  hunt  the  rabbit,  and,  not  a  great  while 
since,  the  buffalo,  and  the  antelope  were  in  these  valleys 
in  large  herds  when  we  first  came  here 

When  we  came  here,  they  could  catch  fish  in  great 
abundance  in  the  lake  in  the  season  thereof,  and  live 
upon  them  pretty  much  through  the  summer.  But  now 
their  game  has  gone,  and  they  are  left  to  starve.  It  is  our 
duty  to  feed  them.  The  Lord  has  given  us  ability  to  culti- 
vate the  ground  and  reap  bountiful  harvests.  We  have  an 


190  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

abundance  of  food  for  ourselves  and  for  the  stranger.  It  is 
our  duty  to  feed  these  poor  ignorant  Indians ;  we  are  living 
on  their  possessions  and  at  their  homes.  11 :264. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  SCRIPTURES 

The  Bible — In  the  Bible  are  the  words  of  life  and  salva- 
tion. 13.214. 

We  are  believers  in  the  Bible,  and  to  our  unshaken  faith 
in  its  precepts,  doctrine,  and  prophecy,  may  be  attributed 
"the  strangeness  of  our  course,"  and  the  unwarrantable  con- 
duct of  many  towards  this  people.  1 :237. 

But  I  want  to  know  if  we  agree  with  the  teachings  of 
the  Bible,  in  our  belief  and  practice.  The  Latter-day  Saints 
believe  in  doing  just  what  the  Lord  has  told  them  to  do 
in  this  book.  1 :239. 

We  believe  the  New  Testament,  and  consequently,  to 
be  consistent,  we  must  believe  in  new  revelation,  visions, 
angels,  in  all  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  aU  the  prom- 
ises contained  in  these  books,  and  believe  it  about  as  it 
reads.  1:242. 

We  have  a  holy  reverence  for  and  a  belief  in  the  Bible. 
14:113. 

The  Bible  is  true.  It  may  not  all  have  been  translated 
aright,  and  many  precious  things  may  have  been  rejected 
in  the  compilation  and  translation  of  the  Bible;  but  we 
understand,  from  the  writings  of  one  of  the  Apostles,  that 
if  all  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  Savior  had  been  writ- 
ten, the  world  could  not  contain  them.  I  will  say  that  the 
world  could  not  understand  them.  They  do  not  understand 
what  we  have  on  record,  nor  the  character  of  the  Savior, 
as  delineated  in  the  Scriptures ;  and  yet  it  is  one  of  the  sim- 
plest things  in  the  world,  and  the  Bible,  when  it  is  under- 
stood, is  one  of  the  simplest  books  in  the  world,  for,  as.  far 


192  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

as  it  is  translated  correctly,  it  is  nothing  but  truth,  and  in 
truth  there  is  no  mystery  save  to  the  ignorant.  The  revela- 
tions of  the  Lord  to  his  creatures  are  adapted  to  the  lowest 
capacity,  and  they  bring  life  and  salvation  to  all  who  are 
willing  to  receive  them.  14  -135. 

Take  the  Bible  just  as  it  reads;  and  if  it  be  translated 
incorrectly  and  there  is  a  scholar  on  the  earth  who  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  Christian,  and  he  can  translate  it  any  better 
than  King  James's  translators  did  it,  he  is  under  obliga- 
tion to  do  so,  If  I  understood  Greek  and  Hebrew  as  some 
may  profess  to  do,  and  I  knew  the  Bible  was  not  correctly 
translated,  I  should  feel  myself  bound  by  the  law  of  justice 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  to  translate  that  which  is  in- 
correct and  give  it  just  as  it  was  spoken  anciently.  Is  that 
proper?  Yes,  I  would  be  under  obligation  to  do  it.  But  I 
think  it  is  translated  just  as  correctly  as  the  scholars  could 
get  it,  although  it  is  not  correct  in  a  great  many  instances. 
But  it  is  no  matter  about  that  Read  it  and  observe  it  and 
it  will  not  hurt  any  person  in  the  world  14 .226. 

By  reading  the  Bible  we  find  that  the  Gospel  is  con- 
tained not  only  in  the  New  Testament,  but  also  in  the  Old 
Moses  and  the  Prophets  saw  and  predicted  the  apostasy  of 
the  Church.  They  saw  that  the  Lord  would  strive  with  the 
children  of  men  from  time  to  time,  that  he  would  deliver  to 
them  the  truth  and  the  Priesthood;  they  also  saw  that 
through  the  wickedness  of  the  people  they  would  change 
his  ordinances,  break  the  covenants,  and  transgress  his  laws, 
until  the  Priesthood  would  be  taken  from  the  earth,  and  its 
inhabitants  be  left  in  apostasy  and  darkness  16  74 

I  have  heard  ministers  of  the  Gospel  declare  that  they 
believed  every  word  in  the  Bible  was  the  word  of  God.  I 
have  said  tp  them,  "You  believe  more  than  I  do,"  I  be- 


THE   SCRIPTURES  193 

lieve  the  words  of  God  are  there,  I  believe  the  words  of  the 
Devil  are  there;  I  believe  that  the  words  of  men  and  the 
words  of  angels  are  there,  and  that  is  not  all, — I  believe 
that  the  words  of  a  dumb  brute  are  there  I  recollect  one 
of  the  prophets  riding,  and  prophesying  against  Israel,  and 
the  animal  he  rode  rebuked  his  madness.  14  -280. 

I  believe  the  words  of  the  Bible  are  just  what  they  are; 
but  aside  from  that  I  believe  the  doctrines  concerning  salva- 
tion contained  in  that  book  are  true,  and  that  their  observ- 
ance will  elevate  any  people,  nation  or  family  that  dwells 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  doctrines  contained  in  the 
Bible  will  lift  to  a  superior  condition  all  who  observe  them , 
they  will  impart  to  them  knowledge,  wisdom,  charity,  fill 
them  with  compassion  and  cause  them  to  feel  after  the 
wants  of  those  who  are  in  distress,  or  in  painful  or  de- 
graded circumstances  They  who  observe  the  precepts 
contained  in  the  Scriptures  will  be  just  and  true  and  vir- 
tuous and  peacable  at  home  and  abroad.  Follow  out  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  men  will  make  splendid  hus- 
bands, women  excellent  wives,  and  children  will  be 
obedient;  they  will  make  families  happy  and  the  nations 
wealthy  and  happy  and  lifted  up  above  the  things  of  this 
life  13  175 

We  take  this  book,  the  Bible,  which  I  expect  to  see 
voted  out  of  the  so-called  Christian  world  very  soon,  they 
are  coming  to  it  as  fast  as  possible,  I  say  we  take  this  book 
for  our  guide,  for  our  rule  of  action;  we  take  it  as  the 
foundation  of  our  faith  It  points  the  way  to  salvation  like 
a  fingerboard  pointing  to  a  city,  or  a  map  which  desig- 
nates th6  locality  of  mountains,  rivers,  or  the  latitude 
and  longitude  of  any  place  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  that 
we  desire  to  find,  and  we  have  no  better  sense  than  to  be- 


194  DISCOURSES   OF   BEIGHAM   YOUNG 

lieve  it;  hence,  I  say  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  have  the 
most  natural  faith  and  belief  of  any  people  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  13.236. 

We  as  Latter-day  Saints  have  confessed  before  Heaven, 
before  the  heavenly  hosts,  and  before  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth,  that  we  really  believe  the  Scriptures  as  they  are 
given  to  us,  according  to  the  best  understanding  and  knowl- 
edge that  we  have  of  the  translation,  and  the  spirit  and 
meaning  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  12  -227 

Take  up  the  Bible,  compare  the  religion  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  with  it,  and  see  if  it  will  stand  the  test.  17  46 

This  Book,  which  is  the  Old  and  New  Testament, 
preaches  but  one  sermon  from  Genesis  to  Revelation 
6.284. 

The  doctrine  that  we  preach  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Bible, 
it  is  the  doctrine  the  Lord  has  revealed  for  the  salvation  of 
the  children  of  God,  and  when  men,  who  have  once  obeyed 
it,  deny  it,  they  deny  it  with  their  eyes  wide  open,  and 
knowing  that  they  deny  the  truth  and  set  at  naught  the 
counsels  of  the  Almighty.  14  200. 

I  ask  you,  brother  B,  how  I  must  believe  the  Bible, 
and  how  shall  you  and  every  other  follower  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  believe  it?  "Brother  Mormon,  how  do  you 
believe  it?"  I  believe  it  just  as  it  is,  I  do  not  believe  in 
putting  any  man's  interpretation  upon  it,  whatever,  unless 
it  should  be  directed  by  the  Lord  himself  in  some  way, 
I  do  not  believe  we  need  interpreters  and  expounders  of 
the  Scriptures,  to  wrest  them  from  their  literal,  plain,  sim- 
ple meaning.  1 :237. 

There  is  one  idea  entertained  by  the  "Mormons"  which 
is  somewhat  of  a  stumbling-block  to  the  people,  and  apos- 
tates 'handle  it  to  suit  their  purpose.  It  is,  that  we  consider 


THE  SCRIPTURES  195 

the  Bible  merely  as  a  guide  or  fingerboard,  pointing  to  a 
certain  destination.  This  is  a  true  doctrine,  which  we  boldly 
advance.  If  you  will  follow  the  doctrines,  and  be  guided  by 
the  precepts  of  that  book,  it  will  direct  you  where  you  may 
see  as  you  are  seen,  where  you  may  converse  with  Jesus 
Christ,  have  the  visitation  of  angels,  have  dreams,  visions, 
and  revelations,  and  understand  and  know  God  for  your- 
selves. Is  it  not  a  stay  and  a  staff  to  you  ?  Yes ;  it  will 
prove  to  you  that  you  are  following  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
ancients.  You  can  see  what  they  saw,  understand  what 
they  enjoyed.  1 :243. 

The  Standard  Church  Works.  With  us  the  Bible  is  the 
first  book,  the  Book  of  Mormon  comes  next,  then  the  reve- 
lations in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  then  the 
teachings  of  the  living  oracles,  yet  you  will  find,  in  the  end, 
that  the  living  oracles  of  God  have  to  take  all  things  of 
heaven  and  earth,  above  and  beneath,  and  bring  them  to- 
gether and  devote  them  to  God,  and  sanctify  and  purify 
them  and  prepare  them  to  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of 
heaven.  9:297. 

There  is  no  clash  in  the  principles  revealed  in  the  Bible, 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants ;  and 
there  would  be  no  clash  between  any  of  the  doctrines  taught 
by  Joseph  the  Prophet  and  by  the  brethren  now,  if  all  would 
live  in  a  way  to  be  governed  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  All 
do  not  live  so  as  to  have  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  with  them 
all  the  time,  and  the  result  is  that  some  get  out  of  the  way. 
5:329. 

We  have  learned  much  from  the  Bible.  We  have  also 
learned  mnth  from  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  book  of 
Doctrine  and  Covenants ;  but  all  the  salvation  you  can  ob- 
tain by  means  of  those  books  alone  is  comparatively  of  little 


196  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

value.  They  contain  a  history  of  what  other  men  have 
done,  show  the  path  they  walked  in,  and  the  way  in  which 
they  obtained  the  words  of  eternal  life  for  themselves ,  but 
all  the  Scriptures  from  the  days  of  Adam  until  now  cannot, 
alone,  save  one  individual.  Were  they  all  committed  to 
memory  so  perfectly  that  they  could  be  recited  with  the 
greatest  ease,  that  alone  would  not  save  one  of  the  smallest 
of  God's  creatures,  nor  bring  any  person  nearer  the  gate  of 
the  celestial  kingdom.  In  visiting  a  foreign  nation,  an  un- 
derstanding of  its  language,  geography,  manners,  cus- 
toms, and  laws  is  very  agreeable  and  beneficial.  So  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  gives  comfort  and  happiness  to  the 
traveler  to  eternity,  and  points  out  to  him  m  part  the  char- 
acter and  attributes  of  the  Being  whom  to  know  is  life 
eternal  We  have  not  yet  attained  to  that  knowledge,  and 
the  mere  reading  of  the  Scriptures  can  never  put  us  in  pos- 
session of  it  7.332 

It  is  your  privilege  and  duty  to  live  so,  as  to  be  able  to 
understand  the  things  of  God  There  are  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  the  book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants,  which  Joseph  has  given  us,  and  they 
are  of  great  worth  to  a  person  wandering  in  darkness  They 
are  like  a  lighthouse  in  the  ocean,  or  a  finger-post  which 
points  out  the  road  we  should  travel.  Where  do  they 
point7  To  the  Fountain  of  light,  8  129 

What  do  the  infidel  world  say  about  the  Bible?  They 
say  that  the  Bible  is  nothing  better  than  last  year's  al- 
manac ,  it  is  nothing  but  a  fable  of  priestcraft,  and  it  is  good 
for  nothing.  The  Book  of  Mormon,  however,  declares  that 
the  Bible  is  true,  and  it  proves  it;  and  the  two  prove  each 
other  true.  The  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  the  stick  of 
Judah,  You  recollect  that  the  tribe  of  Judah  tarried  in 


THE   SORJPTURES  197 

Jerusalem  and  the  Lord  blessed  Judah,  and  the  result  was 
the  writings  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  But  where 
is  the  stick  of  Joseph?  Can  you  tell  where  it  is ?  Yes.  It 
was  the  children  of  Joseph  who  came  across  the  waters  to 
this  continent,  and  this  land  was  filled  with  people,  and 
the  Book  of  Mormon  or  the  stick  of  Joseph  contains  their 
writings,  and  they  are  in  the  hands  of  Ephraim,  Where  are 
the  Ephraimites?  They  are  mixed  through  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  God  is  calling  upon  them  to  gather  out,  and 
he  is  uniting  them,  and  they  are  giving  the  Gospel  to  all 
the  world.  Is  there  any  harm  or  any  false  doctrine  in  that? 
A  great  many  say  there  is.  If  there  is,  it  is  all  in  the  Bible 
13:174. 

The  Christian  world  profess  to  believe  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments ;  the  Jews  say  they  believe  the  Old  Testament 
We  believe  both,  and  that  is  not  all,  we  believe  in  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  and  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  given  by  the 
Lord  to  Joseph  Smith  and  by  him  to  the  Church.  We  also 
believe  if  we  were  destitute  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and 
our  eyes  were  closed  so  that  we  could  not  see  and  under- 
stand things  as  they  are  by  the  spirit  of  revelation,  we 
might  say  farewell  to  all  these  books,  no  matter  how 
numerous.  If  we  had  all  the  revelation  given  since  the 
days  of  Adam  and  were  without  the  spirit  of  revelation  to 
be  and  abide  in  the  midst  of  the  people,  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  us  to  be  saved  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God. 
12:259-260. 

The  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants  is  given  for  the 
Latter-day  Saints  expressly  for  their  everyday  walk  and 
actions.  16:188. 

The  Use  of  the  Scriptures — Do  you  read  the  Scriptures, 
my  brethren  and  sisters,  as  though  you  were  writing  them 


198  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

a  thousand,  two  thousand,  or  five  thousand  years  ago?  Do 
you  read  them  as  though  you  stood  in  the  place  of  the  men 
who  wrote  them?  If  you  do  not  feel  thus,  it  is  your  privi- 
lege to  do  so,  that  you  may  be  as  familiar  with  the  spirit 
and  meaning  of  the  written  word  of  God  as  you  are  with 
your  daily  walk  and  conversation,  or  as  you  are  with  your 
workmen  or  with  your  households  7.333. 

The  people  on  every  hand  are  inquiring,  "What  does 
this  scripture  mean,  and  how  shall  we  understand  this  or 
that  passage ?"  Now  I  wish,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  for 
us  to  understand  things  precisely  as  they  are,  and  not  as 
the  flitting,  changing  imagination  of  the  human  mind  may 
frame  them. 

The  Bible  is  just  as  plain  and  easy  of  comprehension  as 
the  revelation  which  I  have  just  read  to  you,  if  you  under- 
stand the  Spirit  of  God— the  Spirit  of  Revelation,  and  know 
how  the  Gospel  of  salvation  is  adapted  to  the  capacity  of 
weak  man.  3 :336. 

We  are  not  in  the  same  attitude  that  the  people  were  a 
few  thousand  years  ago — they  were  depending  on  the 
Prophet  or  Prophets,  or  on  having  immediate  revelation  for 
themselves  to  know  the  will  of  the  Lord,  without  the  record 
of  their  predecessors,  while  we  have  the  records  of  those 
who  have  lived  before  us,  also  the  testimony  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  who  desire  a  testimony, 
we  can  turn  to  this  book  and  read  that  which  we  believe, 
learn  the  object  of  our  pursuit,  the  end  that  we  expect  to 
accomplish— the  end  of  the  race  as  far  as  mortality  is  con- 
cerned— and  the  fulness  of  the  glory  that  is  beyond  this 
vale  of  tears ;  consequently  we  have  the  advantage  of  those 
who  lived  before  us  We  are  m  pursuit  of  knowledge ;  and 
when  you  meet  together,  if  you  have  a  word  of  prophecy, 


THE  SCRIPTURES  199 

a  dream,  a  vision,  or  a  word  of  wisdom,  impart  the  same 
to  the  people,  IS  :35. 

Is  there  anything  in  the  Bible  that  should  not  be  read 
by  the  scholars  in  schools?  If  there  be,  leave  out  such 
parts,  or  rather  replace  the  language  there  used,  with 
phraseology  more  in  accordance  with  modern  usage,  so 
that  the  principles  contained  in  the  Bible  may  be  taught  in 
your  catechisms  or  other  books.  I  know  that  there  is  some 
plam  talk  m  the  Bible,  plainer  than  I  heard  this  morning, 
but  that  plam  talk  was  the  custom  of  the  ancients.  The 
mere  phraseology  there  used  is  not  of  much  consequence, 
it  is  the  true  principle  which  that  book  teaches  which  ren- 
ders it  so  valuable,  If  any  of  you'  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
were  to  step  on  a  steamboat  and  cross  over  to  Liverpool, 
you  would  hear  language  and  see  customs  that  you  never 
heard  or  saw  in  Yankee  land  .It  is  the  same  with  regard 
to  the  Bible,  the  phraseology  is  that  which  was  customary 
centuries  ago ,  but  no  matter  what  the  language  is,  that  is 
merely  custom.  But  I  will  say  that  the  doctrines  taught 
in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  concerning  the  will  of  God 
towards  his  children  here  on  the  earth;  the  history  of  what 
he  has  done  for  their  salvation;  the  ordinances  which  he 
has  instituted  for  their  redemption,  the  gift  of  his  Son 
and  his  atonement — all  these  are  true,  and  we,  the  Latter- 
day  Saints,  believe  in  them.  13  174, 

I  am  a  witness,  so  far  as  this  is  concerned,  that  the 
persons  whose  names  are  mentioned,  and  many  others  of 
the  first  Elders  of  the  Church,  were  looked  upon  almost  as 
angels  They  were  looked  upon  by  the  young  members  as 
being  so  filled  with  the  Spirit  and  power  of  God,  that  we 
were  hardly  worthy  to  converse  with  them.  You  hear  the 
names  of  Bishop  Partridge,  of  Brother  W.  W.  Phelps,  who 


200  DISCOURSES   OF    BRIGHAM    YOUNG 

is  now  sitting  in  this  stand,  of  Parley  P.  Pratt,  of  David 
Whitmer,  of  Oliver  Cowdery,  and  the  names  of  many  others 
of  the  first  Elders  who  had  been  up  to  Zion,  and  I  declare 
to  you  that  brethren  in  other  parts  of  the  land,  those  who 
had  not  seen  the  persons  named,  felt  that  should  they  come 
into  their  presence  they  would  have  to  pull  off  their  shoes, 
as  the  ground  would  be  so  holy  upon  which  they  trod. 

Do  you  know  what  distance  and  age  accomplish?  They 
produce  in  people  the  most  reverential  awe  that  can  be 
imagined.  v 

When  we  reflect  and  rightly  understand,  we  learn  how 
easy  of  comprehension  the  Gospel  is,  how  plain  it  is  in  its 
plan,  in  every  part  and  principle  fitted  perfectly  to  the  ca- 
pacity of  mankind,  insomuch  that  when  it  is  introduced 
among  the  lovers  of  truth  it  appears  very  easy  and  very 
plain,  and  how  very  ready  the  honest  are  to  receive  it. 

But  send  it  abroad  and  give  it  antiquity,  and  it  is  at 
once  clothed  with  mystery.  This  is  the  case  with  all  the 
ancient  revelations.  Those  which  were  received  and  under- 
stood by  the  ancients  are  shrouded  in  mystery  and  uncer- 
tainty to  this  generation,  and  men  are  employed  to  reveal 
the  meaning  of  the  ancient  Scriptures.  3 :335-6. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  PRIESTHOOD 

The  Priesthood— All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  hearken 
and  hear!  God  has,  in  our  day,  spoken  from  the  heavens; 
he  has  bestowed  his  holy  Priesthood  on  the  children  of  men; 
he  has  called  upon  all  people  to  repent.  8 :136. 

Let  us  submit  to  him,  that  we  may  share  in  this  in- 
isvible,  almighty,  God-like  power,  which  is  the  everlasting 
Priesthood.  3:259. 

The  Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God,  which  we  have  in  our 
midst,  is  a  perfect  order  and  system  of  government,  and 
this  alone  can  deliver  the  human  family  from  all  the  evils 
which  now  afflict  its  members,  and  insure  them  happiness 
and  felicity  hereafter.  13 :242. 

If  anybody  wants  to  know  what  the  Priesthood  of  the 
Son  of  God  is,  it  is  the  law  by  which  the  worlds  are,  were, 
and  will  continue  for  ever  and  ever.  It  is  that  system  which 
brings  worlds  into  existence  and  peoples  them,  gives  them 
their  revolutions — their  days,  weeks,  months,  years,  their 
seasons  and  times  and  by  which  they  are  rolled  up  as  a 
scroll,  as  it  were,  and  go  into  a  higher  state  of  existence 
15:127. 

When  we  talk  of  the  celestial  law  which  is  revealed 
from  heaven,  that  is,  the  Priesthood,  we  are  talking  about 
the  principle  of  salvation,  a  perfect  system  of  government, 
of  laws  and  ordinances,  by  which  we  can  be  prepared  to 
pass  from  one  gate  to  another,  and  from  one  sentinel  to 
another,  until  we  go  into  the  presence  of  our  Father  and 
God.  This  law  has  not  always  been  upon  the  earth;  and 
in  its  absence,  other  laws  have  been  given  to  the  children 


202  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  men  for  their  improvement,  for  their  education,  for  their 
government,  and  to  prove  what  they  would  do  when  left 
to  control  themselves ;  and  what  we  now  call  tradition  has 
grown  out  of  these  circumtances.  2.139. 

The  Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God  in  its  operations  com- 
prises the  Kingdom  of  God.  11  249. 

Some  of  the  brightest  spirits  who  dwell  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father  are  making  their  appearance  among  this  people, 
of  whom  the  Lord  will  make  a  Royal  Priesthood,  a  pecu- 
liar nation  that  he  can  own  and  bless,  talk  with,  and  asso- 
ciate with.  11  132. 

Men  who  are  vessels  of  the  holy  Priesthood,  who  are 
charged  with  words  of  eternal  life  to  the  world,  should 
strive  continually  in  their  words  and  actions  and  daily  de- 
portment to  do  honor  to  the  great  dignity  of  their  calling 
and  office  as  ministers  and  representatives  of  the  Most 
High.  11-216. 

The  Gospel  has  brought  to  us  the  holy  Priesthood, 
which  is  again  restored  to  the  children  of  men.  The  keys 
of  that  Priesthood  are  here,  we  have  them  in  our  posses- 
sion ;  we  can  unlock,  and  we  can  shut  up  We  can  obtain 
salvation,  and  we  can  administer  it.  4  299, 

This  Priesthood  has  been  on  the  earth  at  various  times 
Adam  had  it,  Seth  had  it,  Enoch  had  it,  Noah  had  it,  Abra- 
ham and  Lot  had  it,  and  it  was  handed  down  to  the  days 
of  the  Prophets,  long  after  the  days  of  the  ancients  This 
High  Priesthood  rules,'  directs,  governs,  and  controls  all 
the  Priesthoods,  because  it  is  the  highest  of  all.  9  -87. 

But  the  Lord  has  so  ordained  that  no  man  shall  receive 
the  benefits  of  the  everlasting  Priesthood  without  humbling 
himself  before  him,  and  giving  him  the  glory  for  teaching 
him,  that  he  may  be  able  to  witness  to  every  man  of  the 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  203 

truth,  and  not  depend  upon  the  words  of  any  individual  on 
the  earth,  but  know  for  himself,  live  "by  every  word  that 
proceedeth  out  ©f  the  mouth  of  God,"  love  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  institutions  of  his  Kingdom,  and  finally 
enter  into  his  glory  Every  man  and  woman  may  be  a 
revelator,  and  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  which  is  the 
spirit  of  prophecy,  and  foresee  the  mind  and  will  of  God 
concerning  them,  eschew  evil,  and  choose  that  which  is 
good.  2  189. 

The  Priesthood  is  given  to  the  people  and  the  keys 
thereof,  and,  when  properly  understood,  they  may  actually 
unlock  the  treasury  of  the  Lord,  and  receive  to  their  full- 
est satisfaction.  But  through  our  own  weaknesses,  through 
the  frailty  of  human  nature,  we  are  not  capable  of  doing 
so.  3  191-2, 

The  Priesthood  does  not  wait  for  ignorance ;  it  instructs 
those  who  have  not  wisdom,  and  are  desirous  of  learning 
correct  principles.  7  64. 

It  is  the  business,  duty,  and  power  of  the  eternal  Priest- 
hood to  commence  laying  the  foundation  to  bring  back 
the  days,  years,  and  intelligence  that  have  been  lost  through 
transgression  I  intend  to  pursue  this  course  so  long  as  I 
possibly  can.  I  trust  that  I  shall  not  commit  an  act  that 
will  annoy  my  feelings  when  I  meet  my  Savior.  I  pray 
for  this  every  day  and  every  moment  8  '62. 

The  Lord  Almighty  will  not  suffer  his  Priesthood  to  be 
again  driven  from  the  earth.  2-183-184. 

But  mark  it  well,  if  we  live  according  to  the  holy  Priest- 
hood bestowed  upon  us,  while  God  bears  rule  in  the  midst 
of  these  mountains,  I  promise  you,  in  the  name  of  Israel's 
God,  that  he  will  give  us  seed-time  and  harvest  We  must 
forfeit  our  right  to  the  Priesthood,  before  the  blessings  of 


204  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  'heavens  cease  to  come  upon  us.  Let  us  live  our  r"e- 
hgion  and  hearken  to  the  counsel  given  to  us.  10.292. 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  power  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints.  Is  it  the  people  called  Latter-day  Saints  that  have 
this  power,  or  is  it  the  Priesthood?  It  is  the  Priesthood; 
and  if  they  live  according  to  that  Priesthood,  they  can 
commence  their  work  here  and  gain  many  victories,  and  be 
prepared  to  receive  glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  life, 
that  when  they  go  into  the  spirit-world,  their  work  will  far 
surpass  that  of  any  other  man  or  being  that  has  not  been 
blessed  with  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood  here  7 .288-9 

There  is  not  a  despot  upon  the  earth  whose  power  has 
not  originally  sprung  from  the  Priesthood,  and  there  is  not 
a  law  in  the  Priesthood  but  what  is  founded  on  the  revela- 
tions of  Jesus  Christ.  These  are  the  laws  upon  which  all 
governments  were  originally  based.  Truth  will  endure  for- 
ever, and  every  person  that  cannot  abide  truth  will  fail  in 
obtaining  eternal  life.  Truth  is  what  we  have.  Let  us  live 
to  it,  and  we  shall  abide  for  ever  and  n6  power  can  prevent 
it  7:149. 

When  the  faithful  Elders,  holding  this  Priesthood,  go 
into  the  spirit  world  they  carry  with  them  the  same  power 
and  Priesthood  that  they  had  while  in  the  mortal  taber- 
nacle 3  -371 

,  When  the  holy  Priesthood  is  upon  the  earth,  and  the 
fulness  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  come  to  the  people,  it 
requires  a  strict  obedience  to  every  point  of  law  and  doc- 
trine and  to  every  ordinance  which  the  Lord  reveals. 
10,286. 

Were  your  faith  concentrated  upon  the  proper  object, 
your  confidence  unshaken,  your  lives  pure  and  holy,  every 
one  fulfilling  the  duties  of  his  or  her  calling  according  to  the 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  205 

Priesthood  and  capacity  bestowed  upon  you,  you  would  be 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  would  be  as  impossible 
for  any  man  to  deceive  and  lead  you  to  destruction  as  for 
a  feather  to  remain  unconsumed  in  the  midst  of  intense 
heat.  7:277. 

An  individual  who  holds  a  share  in  the  Priesthood,  and 
continues  faithful  to  his  calling,  who  delights  himself  con- 
tinually in  doing  the  things  God  requires  at  his  hands,  and 
continues  through  life  in  the  performance  of  every  duty 
will  secure  to  himself  not  only  the  privilege  of  receiving, 
but  the  knowledge  how  to  receive  the  things  of  God,  that 
he  may  know  the  mind  of  God  continually;  and  he  will 
be  enabled  to  discern  between  right  and  wrong,  between 
the  things  of  God  and  the  things  that  are  not  of  God.  And 
the  Priesthood — the  Spirit  that  is  within  him,  will  continue 
to  increase  until  it  becomes  like  a  fountain  of  living  water ; 
until  it  is  like  the  tree  of  life ;  until  it  is  one  continued  source 
of  intelligence  and  instruction  to  that  individual.  3 :192. 

It  is  the  privilege  of  every  person  who  is  faithful  to  the 
Priesthood,  who  can  overcome  the  enemy,  thwart  the  de- 
sign of  death,  or  him  that  hath  the  power  of  it,  to  live  upon 
the  earth  until  their  appointed  time;  and  they  may  know, 
see,  and  understand,  by  revelation,  the  things  of  God  just 
as  naturallly  as  we  understand  natural  things  that  are 
around  us,  3:192-193. 

All  the  acts  we  perform  should  be  governed  by  the"  guid- 
ance of  the  Priesthood.  7:64. 

There  is  no  act  of  a  Latter-day  Saint — no  duty  re- 
quired— no  time  given,  exclusive  and  independent  of  the 
Priesthood.  Everything  is  subject  to  it,  whether  preaching, 
business,  or  any  other  act  pertaining  to  the  proper  conduct 
of  this  life.  7:66. 


206  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Until  a  selfish,  individual  interest  is  banished  from  our 
minds,  and  we  become  interested  in  the  general  welfare,  we 
shall  never  be  able  to  magnify  our  holy  Priesthood  as  we 
should.  11:115. 

No  man  will  gam  influence  in  this  Kingdom,  save  what 
he  gains  by  the  influence  and  power  of  the  Holy  One  that 
has  called  him  to  truth,  holiness,  and  virtue  That  is  all 
the  influence  I  have,  and  I  pray  God  that  I  may  never  have 
any  different  influence.  7 :140. 

Let  me  say  to  the  brethren  and  sisters,  when  you  are 
chastened  by  any  of  your  leaders,  never  consider  that  the 
enemy  does  it,  but  receive  it  always  as  a  kindness  from 
the  hand  of  a  friend  and  not  as  from  an  enemy.  If  your 
presidents  were  your  enemies  they  would  let  you  alone  in 
your  faults.  If  you  are  beloved  of  the  Lord  you  will  be 
chastened;  receive  it  with  joy.  10*174. 

In  trying  all  matters  of  doctrine,  to  make  a  decision 
valid,  it  is  necessary  to  obtain  a  unanimous  voice,  faith  and 
decision.  In  the  capacity  of  a  Quorum,  the  three  First 
Presidents  must  be  one  m  their  voice ;  the  Twelve  Apostles 
must  be  unanimous  in  their  voice,  to  obtain  a  righteous  de- 
cision upon  any  matter  that  may  come  before  them,  as  you 
may  read  in  the  Doctrine  and  Covenants  Whenever  you 
see  these  Quorums  unanimous  in  their  declaration,  you  may 
set  it  down  as  true.  Let  the  Elders  get  together,  being 
faithful  and  true ,  and  when  they  agree  upon  any  point,  you 
may  know  that  it  is  true.  9  91-92. 

I  would  like  to  see  the  High  Council  and  Bishops  and 
all  Judges  filled  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that 
when  a  person  comes  before  them  they  can  read  and  under- 
stand that  person,  and  be  able  to  decide  a  case  quickly  and 
justly.  When  men  have  a  just  appreciation  of  right  and 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  207 

wrong,  their  decision  can  be  made  as  well  the  first  minute 
after  hearing  a  statement  of  the  case,  as  to  waste  hours  and 
days  to  make  it.  I  would  like  the  Bishops  and  other  of- 
ficers to  have  sufficient  power  and  wisdom  from  God  to 
make  them  fully  aware  of  the  true  nature  of  every  case 
that  may  come  before  them.  But  there  are  some  of  our 
great  men  who  are  so  ignorant  that  a  personal  favor  will 
so  bias  their  minds  that  they  will  twist  the  truth  and  sustain 
a  person  in  evil.  Some,  with  a  trifling  consideration,  can  so 
prejudice  the  mind  of  a  High  Councilor,  a  High  Priest,  a 
Bishop,  or  an  Apostle,  that  he  will  lean  to  the  individual 
instead  of  the  truth.  I  despise  a  man  that  would  offer  me 
money  to  buy  me  to  his  favor.  10.42. 

In  all  High  Councils,  in  Bishops'  Courts,  and  in  all  other 
departments  for  transacting  our  business,  the  Church  and 
Kingdom  of  God,  with  the  Lord  Almighty  at  the  head,  will 
cause  every  man  to  exhibit  the  feeling  of  his  heart,  for  you 
recollect  it  is  written  that  in  the  last  days  the  Lord  will 
reveal  the  secrets  of  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men  3  -47 

When  I  am  brought  to  the  test  to  fight  for  my  religion, 
which  I  trust  I  never  will  be,  I  will  call  men  who  are  full 
of  the  power  of  God  for  such  an  emergency.  7 143. 

I  relate  these  circumstances  to  show  you  that  a  person 
who  is  ordained  to  the  office  of  an  Elder  in  this  Kingdom 
has  the  same  Priesthood  that  the  High  Priests,  that  the 
Twelve  Apostles,  that  the  Seventies,  and  that  the  First 
Presidency  hold;  but  all  are  not  called  to  be  one  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  nor  are  all  called  to  be  one  of  the  First 
Presidency,  nor  to  be  one  of  the  First  Presidents  of  all  the 
Seventies,  nor  to  be  one  of  the  Presidents  of  a  Quorum  of 
Seventies,  nor  to  preside  over  the  High  Priests'  Quorum; 
but  every  man  in  his  order  and  place,  possessing  a  portion 


208  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  the  same  Priesthood,  according  to  the  gifts  and  callings 
to  each.  Does  not  this  clear  up  the  subject?  This  will  ex- 
plain it  to  you  so  that  you  can  understand  it  When  we 
find  where  our  callings  and  positions  are  in  the  midst  of 
the  people  of  God,  and  every  person  willing  to  act  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duty,  there  is  enough  for  us  all  to  do.  All 
persons  can  have  all  they  desire  to  do  to  promote  the  King- 
dom of  God  on  the  earth ,  they,  can  exercise  themselves  in 
all  that  God  has  granted  to  them  to  prove  themselves 
worthy  before  God  and  the  people  9 :89. 

Did  they  destroy  it  when  they  took  the  life  of  Joseph? 
No  "Mormonism"  is  here,  the  Priesthood  is  here,  the 
keys  of  the  Kingdom  are  here  on  the  earth,  and  when  Joseph 
went,  they  did  not  go.  And  if  the  wicked  should  succeed  in 
taking  my  life,  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  will  remain  with 
the  Church  5  76-7, 

If  I  find  a  man,  as  I  do  once  in  a  while,  who  thinks  that 
he  ought  to  be  sustained  in  a  higher  position  than  he  oc- 
cupies, that  proves  to  me  that  he  does  not  understand  his 
true  position,  and  is  not  capable  of  magnifying  it.  Has  he 
not  already  the  privilege  of  exhibiting  all  the  talents  he 
has — of  doing  all  the  good  he  is  capable  of  in  this  Kingdom? 
Is  he  curtailed  in  the  least,  in  anywise  or  place,  in  bringing 
forth  his  wisdom  and  powers,  and  exhibiting  them  before 
the  community  and  leading  out?  No,  not  in  the  least.  Are 
any  of  you  infringed  upon  or  abridged  m  the  least?  Is  there 
a  sister  who  has  not  the  privilege  of  exhibiting  all  the  talent 
and  power  she  will,  or  is  capable  of,  for  the  benefit  of  her 
sisters  and  her  children?  Are  the  sisters  deprived  of  any 
liberty  in  displaying  their  taste  and  talent  to  improve  the 
community? 
When  I  hear  persons  say  that  they  ought  to  occupy  a 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  209 

station  more  exalted  than  they  do,  and  hide  the  talents  they 
are  in  possession  of,  they  have  not  the  true  wisdom  they 
ought  to  have.  There  is  a  lack  in  them,  or  they  would  im- 
prove upon  the  talents  given.  7.161-2, 

I  am  more  afraid  that  this  people  have  so  much  confi- 
dence in  their  leaders  that  they  will  not  inquire  for  them- 
selves of  God  whether  they  are  led  by  him.  I  am  fearful 
they  settle  down  in  a  state  of  blind  self-security,  trusting 
their  eternal  destiny  in  the  hands  of  their  leaders  with  a 
reckless  confidence  that  in  itself  would  thwart  the  pur- 
poses of  God  in  their  .salvation,  and  weaken  that  influence 
they  could  give  to  their  leaders,  did  they  know  for  them- 
selves, by  the  revelations  of  Jesus,,  that  they  are  led  in  the 
right  way.  Let  every  man  and  woman  know,  by  the  whis- 
pering of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  themselves,  whether  their 
leaders  are  walking  in  the  path  the  Lord  dictates,  or  not 
9.150. 

You  may  take  the  Quorums  in  this  Church— -the  First 
Presidency,  the  Twelve,  the  Presidents  of  the  High  Priests, 
the  High  Councilors,  and  the  Presidents  of  the  Seventies; 
and  a  person  may  go  to  each  of  those  Quorums  for  counsel 
upon  any  subject,  and  he  will  invariably  receive  the  same 
counsel.  Why  is  this  the  case?  Because  they  are  all  actu- 
ated by  the  same  spirit  5 :328-9. 

Adam,  Seth,  Enoch,  Noah,  all  the  Patriarchs  and  Proph- 
ets, Jesus  and  the  Apostles,  and  every  man  that  has  ever 
written  the  word  of  the  Lord,  have  written  the  same  doc- 
trine upon  the  same  subject;  and  you  never  can  find  that 
Prophets  and  Apostles  clashed  in  their  doctrines  in  ancient 
days ;  neither  will  they  now,  if  all  would  at  all  times  be  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  salvation.  5 :329. 

Where  the  Priesthood  is  not,  the  people  are  expected  to 


210  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

live  according  to  the  best  knowledge  they  have ,  but  even 
then  they  cannot  with  impunity  commit  many  heinous 
faults  The  Lord  more  readily  overlooks  them  in  conse- 
quence of  their  unenlightened  condition,  and  there  is  a 
kingdom  prepared  for  them.  10  '286. 

When  a  man  merely  from  a  spirit  of  conviction  goes 
forth  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God— to  reform  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  he  can  go  so  far  as  morality  operates 
upon  and  enlightens  him ,  but  he  is  without  authority  from 
heaven  We  are  under  no  obligation  to  obey  any  man  or 
being  in  matters  pertaining  to  salvation,  unless  his  words 
have  the  authority  and  sanction  of  the  holy  Priesthood 
8:122. 

I  never  passed  John  Wesley's  church  m  London  without 
stopping  to  look  at  it  Was  he  a  good  man  ?  Yes ;  I  sup- 
pose him  to  have  been,  by  all  accounts,  as  good  as  ever 
walked  on  this  earth,  according  to  his  knowledge.  Has  he 
obtained  a  rest?  Yes,  and  greater  than  ever  entered  his 
mind  to  expect,  and  so  have  thousands  of  others  of  the 
various  religious  denominations  Why  could  he  not  build 
up  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth?  He  had  not  the 
Priesthood;  that  was  all  the  difficulty  he  labored  under. 
Had  the  Priesthood  been  conferred  upon  him,  he  would 
have  built  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  his  day  as  it  is  now 
being  built  up  He  would  have  introduced  the  ordinances, 
powers,  grades,  and  quorums  of  the  Priesthood,  but,  not 
holding  the  Priesthood,  he  could  not  do  it.  Did  the  Spirit 
of  God  rest  upon  him?  Yes,  and  does,  more  or  less,  at 
times,  upon  all  people,  7:5. 

Many  persons  think,  if  they  see  a  Prophet  they  see  one 
possessing  all  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth 
This  is  not  so ,  many  persons  have  prophesied  without  hav- 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  211 

ing  any  Priesthood  on  them  at  all.  It  is  no  particular 
revelation  or  gift  for  a  person  to  prophesy.  You  take  a 
good  statesman,  for  instance,  he  will  tell  you  what  will 
become  of  a  nation  by  their  actions  He  forsees  this  and 
that,  and,  knows  the  results  of  any  line  of  policy  that  may 
be  pursued  To  be  a  prophet  is  simply  to  be  a  foreteller 
of  future  e\  ents ,  but  an  Apostle  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  the  keys  of  the  holy  Priesthood,  and  the  power  thereof 
is  sealed  upon  his  head,  and  by  this  he  is  authorized  to 
proclaim  the  truth  to  the  people,  and  if  they  receive  it,  well ; 
if  not,  the  sin  be  upon  their  own  heads.  13  144 

Seek  diligently  to  know  the  will  of  God  How  can  you 
know  it?  In  matters  pertaining  to  yourselves  as  individuals, 
you  can  obtain  it  directly  from  the  Lord,  but  in  matters 
pertaining  to  public  affairs,  his  will  is  ascertained  through 
the  proper  channel,  and  may  be  known  by  the  general 
counsel  that  is  given  you  from  the  proper  source.  1  78. 

I  have  already  said  that  Christ  set  in  his  Church  Apostles 
and  Prophets ,  he  also  set  in  his  Church  evangelists,  pastors 
and  teachers;  also  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  such  as  diverse 
tongues,  healing  the  sick,  discernment  of  spirits,  and  vari- 
ous other  gifts  Now,  I  would  ask  the  whole  world,  Who 
has  received  revelation  that  the  Lord  has  discontinued  these 
offices  and  gifts  in  his  Church ?  I  have  not.  I  have  had 
revelation  that  they  should  be  in  the  Church,  and  that  there 
is  no  Church  without  them  I  have  had  many  revelations 
proving  to  me  that  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  are  true 
Their  doctrines  are  comprised  in  the  Gospel  that  we  preach, 
which  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  all  who  be- 
lieve. 13.144. 

I  plead  with  the  Elders  of  Israel  day  by  day,  when  I 
have  an  opportunity,  to  live  their  religion— to  live  so  that 


212  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  Holy  Ghost  will  be  their  constant  companion ,  and  then 
they  will  be  qualified  to  be  judges  in  Israel,  to  preside  as 
Bishops,  presiding  Elders,  and  High  Councilors,  and  as  men 
of  God,  to  take  their  families  and  friends  by  the  hand1  and 
lead  them  in  the  path  of  truth  and  virtue,  and  eventually 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God.  6  331 

The  First  Presidency — In  the  setting  forth  of  items  of 
doctrine  which  pertain  to  the  progress  and  further  building 
up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth,  and  the  revealing 
of  his  mind  and  will,  he  has  but  one  mouth  through  which 
to  make  known  his  will  to  his  people.  When  the  Lord 
wishes  to  give  a  revelation  to  his  people,  when  he  wishes 
to  reveal  new  items  of  doctrine  to  them,  or  administer 
chastisetnent^he  will  do  it  through  the  man  whom  he  has 
appointed  to  that  office  and  calling.  The  rest  of  the  offices 
and  callings  of  the  Church  are  helps  and  governments  for 
the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ  and  the  perfection  of  the 
Saints,  etc,  every  president,  bishop,  elder,  priest,  teacher, 
deacon  and  member  standing  m  his  order  and  officiating 
m  his  standing  and  degree  of  Priesthood  as  ministers  of  the 
words  of  life  as  shepherds  to  watch  over  departments  and 
sections  of  the  flock  of  God  in  all  the  world,  and  as  helps  to 
strengthen  the  hands  of  the  Presidency  of  the  whole  Church. 
11:135. 

The  Lord  Almighty  leads  this  Church,  and  he  will  never 
suffer  you  to  be  led  astray  if  you  are  found  doing  your 
duty.  You  may  go  home  and  sleep  as  sweetly  as  a  babe  in 
its  mother's  arms,  as  to  any  danger  of  your  leaders  leading 
you  astray,  for  if  they  should  try  to  do  so  the  Lord  would 
quickly  sweep  them  from  the  earth.  Your  leaders  are  try- 
ing to  live  their  religion  as  far  as  they  are  capable  of  doing 
so  9  289. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  213 

The  First  Presidency  have  of  right  a  great  influence 
over  this  people ,  and  if  we  should  gret  out  of  the  way  and 
lead  this  people  to  destruction,  what  a  pity  it  would  be! 
How  can  you  know  whether  we  lead  you  correctly  or  not? 
Can  you  know  by  any  other  power  than  that  of  the  Holy 
Ghost?  I  have  uniformly  exhorted  the  people  to  obtain 
this  living  witness,  each  for  themselves,  then  no  man  on 
earth  can  lead  them  estray  6-100. 

Be  careful,  all  the  world,  and  touch  not  the  anointed  of 
the  Lord  Afflict  not  the  people  who  have  the  oracles  of 
salvation  for  all  the  human  family  8-195. 

To  possess  and  retain  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  gather 
Israel,  redeem  Zion,  and  save  the  world  must  be  attended 
to  first  and  foremost,  and  should  be  the  prevailing  desire 
in  the  hearts  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Elders  of  Israel, 
and  of  every  officer  in  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God 
7.174. 

Perhaps  it  may  make  some  of  you  stumble,  were  I  to 
ask  you  a  question — Does  a  man's  being  a  Prophet  in  this 
Church  prove  that  he  shall  be  the  President  of  it?  I  answer, 
No !  A  man  may  be  a  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,  and  it 
may  have  nothing  to  do  with  his  being  the  President  of 
the  Church.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  Joseph  was  the  President 
of  the  Church,  as  long  as  he  lived  He  always  filled  that 
responsible  station  by  the  voice  of  the  people.  Can  you  find 
any  revelation  appointing  him  the  President  of  the  Church? 
The  keys  of  the  Priesthood  were  committed  to  Joseph,  to 
build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  were  not  to 
be  taken  from  him  in  time  or  in  eternity,  .but  when  he  was 
called  to  preside  over  the  Church,  it  was  by  the  voice  of  the 
people;  though  he  held  the  keys  of  the  Priesthood,  inde- 
pendent of  their  voice  1 .133. 


214  DISCOURSES  OF  BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

I  would  beseech  and  pray  the  people  to  live  so  that  if  I 
do  not  magnify  my  office  and  calling,  you  will  burn  me  by 
your  faith  and  good  works,  and  I  shall  be  removed  7 .281 

The  spirit  of  Joseph  which  fell  upon  me  is  ready  to  fall 
upon  somebody  else  when  I  am  removed  5  57. 

The  first  name  I  shall  present  to  you  is  that  of  Brigham 
Young,  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints.  If  any  person  can  say  -that  he  should  not  be 
sustained  in  this  office,  say  so.  If  there  is  no  objection,  as  k 
is  usual  in  the  marriage  ceremony  of  the  Church  of  England, 
"Let  them  for  ever  afterwards  hold  their  peace,"  and  not  go 
snivelling  around,  saying  that  you  would  like  to  have  a 
better  man,  and  one  who  is  more  capable  of  leading  the 
Church.  7228, 

Suppose  that  Sidney  Rigdon  and  Frederick  G  Williams 
had  been  taken  away  or  had  apostatized,  as  one  of  them  did 
soon  after  the  revelation  I  have  referred  to  was  given,  and 
there  had  been  only  Joseph  Smith  left  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency, would  he  alone  have  had  authority  to  set  in  order 
the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth?  Yes.  Again  Suppose 
that  eleven  of  the  Twelve  had  been  taken  away  by  the 
power  of  the  Adversary,  that  one  Apostle  has  the  same 
power  that  Joseph  had,  and  could  preach,  baptize,  and  set 
in  order  the  whole  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth,  as 
much  so  as  the  Twelve,  were  they  all  together.  Again  *  If 
in  the  providence  of  God  he  should  permit  the  enemy  to 
destroy  these  two  first  Quorums,  and  then  destroy  the 
Quorum  of  the  Seventy,  all  but  one  man,  what  is  his  po\ver? 
It  would  be  to  go  and  preach,  baptize,  confirm,  lay  on 
hands,  ordain,  set  in  order,  build  up,  and  establish  the  whole 
Kingdom  of  God  as  it  is  now  Suppose  the  enemy  had 
power  to  destroy  all  but  one  of  the  High  Priests  from  the 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  215 

face  of  the  earth,  what  would  that  one  possess  in  the  power 
of  his  Priesthood?  He  would  have  power  and  authority  to 
go  and  preach,  baptize,  confirm,  ordain,  and  set  in  order  the 
Kingdom  of  God  in  all  its  perfection  of  the  earth  Could  he 
do  this  without  revelation?  No  Could  the  Seventies?  No. 
Could  the  Twelve?  No  And  we  ask,  could  Joseph  Smith 
or  the  First  Presidency  do  this  without  revelation? 
N*o  Not  one  of  them  could  do  such  a  work  without  revela- 
tion direct  from  God  I  can  go  still  further  Whoever  is 
ordained  to  the  office  of  an  Elder  to  a  certain  degree  pos- 
sesses the  keys  of  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  and  suppose 
only  one  Elder  should  be  left  on  the  earth,  could  he  go  and 
set  in  order  the  Kingdom  of  God  ?  Yes,  by  revelation  9  88 

Although  Brothers  Willard  Richards,  Heber  C  Kimball, 
and  myself  are  out  of  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve,  our 
Apostleship  has  not  been  taken  from  us  I  preached  con- 
siderable upon  this  subject  in  Nauvoo,  to  give  the  people 
the  understanding  of  the  different  callings  of  men  6 :320. 

Many  may  think  that  a  man  in  my  standing  ought  to  be 
perfect ;  no  such  thing.  If  you  would  only  think  of  it  for 
a  moment  you  would  not  have  me  perfect,  for  if  I  were 
perfect  the  Lord  would  take  me  to  Paradise  quicker  than 
you  would  be  willing  to  have  me  go  there  I  want  to  stay 
with  you ,  and  I  expect  to  be  just  nearly  perfect  enough  to 
lead  you  on.  10:212. 

I  had  the  promise,  years  ago,  that  I  never  should  aposta- 
tize and  bring  an  evil  upon  this  people  God  revealed  that 
through  Joseph,  long  before  he  died,  and  if  I  am* not  doing 
right,  you  may  calculate  that  the  Lord  is  going  to  take  me 
home.  He  will  not  send  me  to  hell,  but  he  will  take  me 
home  to  himself  "I  will  take  you  up  here,  Brigham,  and 
give  you  a  few  lessons,"  9 '142 


216  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

(After  putting  the  motion  for  himself  to  be  sustained 
as  "Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator,"  the  President  re- 
marked) : 

I  will  say  that  I  never  dictated  the  latter  part  of  that 
sentence.  I  make  this  remark,  because  those  words  m  that 
connection  always  made  me  feel -as  though  I  am  called 
more  than  I  am  deserving  of  I  am  Brigham  Young,  an 
Apostle  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  also  of  Jesus  Christ  If  I  have 
been  profitable  to  this  people,  I  am  glad  of  it.  The  brethren 
call  me  so ;  and  if  it  be  so,  I  am  glad  5 .296. 

The  Apostle  and  Melchizedek  Priesthood— The  calling 
of  an  Apostle  is  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  the 
world ,  it  is  the  Apostle  that  holds  the  keys  of  this  power, 
and  nobody  else  If  an  Apostle  magnifies  his  calling,  he 
is  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  his  people  all  the  time  6*282 

It  is  the  duty  and  privilege  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  to 
have  the  Holy  Ghost  for  their  constant  companion,  and  live 
always  m  the  Spirit  of  Revelation,  to  know  their  duty  and 
understand  their  calling ;  this  is  also  the  duty  and  privilege 
of  the  First  Presidency  of  the  Church.  11,135. 

I  can  tell  you  the  spirit  of  the  Twelve,  which  will  be  a 
consolation  to  you,  and  also  to  the  Twelve.  If  I  could  see 
every  one  of  the"  Elders  with  their  wives  and  children  as 
obedient  to  every  requirement  made  of  them — the  children 
to  the  parents,  the  wives  to  the  husbands,  and  the  husbands 
to  the  Priesthood — as  the  Twelve  are — my  soul  would  be 
happy  I  will  say  further  those  of  the  Twelve  that  travel 
the  most  and  serve  God,  are  the  most  obedient  10:310. 

In  the  last  week's  News  I  published  a  portion  of  a  reve- 
lation, showing  the  authority  of  the  First  Presidency  of  the 
Church,  composed  at  first  of  Joseph  Smith,  Sidney  Rigdon, 
and  Frederick  G  Williams  When  this  revelation  was 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  217 

given,  the  two  last-named  brethren  were  Joseph  Smith's 
counselors,  and  this  First  Presidency  possessed  the  power 
and  authority  of  building  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  all 
the  earth,  and  of  setting  the  Church  in  order  in  its  perfec- 
tion You  read  in  the  revelation  alluded  to  that  when  the 
Twelve  were  called  and  ordained,  they  possessed  the  same 
power  and  authority  as  the  three  First  Presidents ,  and  in 
reading  further  you  find  that  there  must  needs  be  ap- 
pendages and  helps  growing  out  of  this  Priesthood.  The 
Seventies  possess  the  same  power  and  authority,  they 
hold  the  keys  of  establishing,  building  up,  regulating,  or- 
daining and  setting  in  order  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  its 
perfections  upon  the  earth.  We  have  a  Quorum  of  High 
Priests,  and  there  are  a  great  many  of  them  They  are  a 
local  body— they  tarry  at  home,  but  the  Seventies  travel 
and  preach;  so  also  do  the  High  Priests,  when  they  are 
called  upon.  They  possess  precisely  the  same  Priesthood 
that  the  Seventies  and  the  Twelve  and  the  First  Presidency 
possess ;  but  are  they  ordained  to  officiate  in  all  the  author- 
ity, powers,  and  keys  of  this  Priesthood?  No,  they  are 
not.  Still  they  are  High  Priests  of  God ;  and  if  they  magni- 
fy their  Priesthood,  they  will  receive  at  some  time  all  the 
authority  and  power  that  it  is  possible  for  men  to  receive. 
987. 

The  Bishopric  by  right  belongs  to  the  literal  descendants 
of  Aaron,  but  we  shall  have  to  ordain  from  the  other  tribes, 
men  who  hold  the  High  Priesthood,  to  act  in  the  Lesser, 
until  we  find  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron,  who  is  pre- 
pared to  receive  it. 

The  Lesser  Priesthood,  then,  you  perceive,  comes  within 
the  purview  of  the  Apostleship,  because  a  man  that  holds 
it  has  a  right  to  act  or  officiate  as  a  High  Priest,  as  one  of 


218  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  High  Council,  as  a  Patriarch,  as  a  Bishop,  Elder,  Priest, 
Teacher,  and  Deacon,  and  in  every  other  office  and  calling 
that  is  in  the  Church,  from  first  to  last,  when  duty  demands 
it  1  136. 

Now  will  it  cause  some  of  you  to  marvel  that  I  was  not 
ordained  a  High  Priest  before  I  was  ordained  an  Apostle? 
Brother  Kimball  and  myself  were  never  ordained  High 
Priests.  How  wonderful!  I  was  going  to  say  how  little 
some  of  the  brethren  understood  the  Priesthood,  after  the 
Twelve  were  called  In  our  early  career  in  this  Church, 
on  one  occasion,  in  one  of  our  Councils,  we  were  telling 
about  some  of  the  Twelve  wanting  to  ordain  us  High 
Priests,  and  what  I  said  to  Brother  Patten  when  he  wanted 
to  ordain  me  in  York  State  said  I,  "Brother  Patten,  wait 
until  I  can  lift  my  hand  to  heaven  and  say,  I  have  magnified 
the  office  of  an  Elder.  After  our  conversation  was  over  in 
the  Council,  some  of  the  brethren  began  to  query,  and  said 
we  ought  to  be  ordained  High  Priests ;  at  the  same  time  I 
did  not  consider  that  an  Apostle  needed  to  be  ordained  a 
High  Priest,  an  Elder,  or  a  Teacher  I  did  not  express  my 
views  on  the  subject,  at  that  time,  but  thought  I  would  hear 
what  brother  Joseph  would  say  about  it  It  was  William 
E  McLellin  who  told  Joseph,  that  I  and  Heber  were  not 
ordained  High  Priests,  and  wanted  to  know  if  it  should  not 
be  done  Said  Joseph,  "Will  you  insult  the  Priesthood? 
Is  that  all  the  knowledge  you  have  of  the  office  of  an  Apos- 
tle? Do  you  not  know  that  the  man  who  receives  the 
Apostleship,  receives  all  the  keys  that  ever  were,  or  that 
can  be,  conferred  upon  mortal  man?  What  are  you  talking 
about?  I  am  astonished!"  Nothing  more  was  said  about 
it. 

I  have  tried  to  show  you,  brethren,  as  briefly  as  possible, 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  219 

the  order  of  the  Priesthood.  When  a  man  is  ordained  to 
be  an  Apostle,  his  Priesthood  is  without  beginning  of  days, 
or  end  of  life,  like  the  Priesthood  of  Melchizedek ;  for  it  was 
his  Priesthood  that  was  spoken  of  in  this  language  and  not 
the  man.  1  136. 

Twenty-seven  years  ago,  on  the  5th  of  this  month,  in 
the  year  1834,  a  company  started  for  Kirtland  to  redeem 
the  land  of  Zion  Brother  Heber  C  Kimball  and  my 
brother  Joseph  were  in  that  camp.  There  had  not  then 
been  ordained  any  Twelve  Apostles,  nor  any  Seventies,  al- 
though there  was  a  revelation  pertaining  to  the  Apostles 
and  Seventies  There  were  High  Priests,  but  no  High 
Priests'  Quorum  I  am  relating  this  as  a  little  matter  of 
history  that  will  no  doubt  be  interesting  to  those  who  were 
not  there. 

After  we  returned  from  Missouri,  my  brother  Joseph 
Young  and  myself  had  been  singing  after  preaching  in  a 
meeting,  and  when  the  meeting  was  dismissed,  Brother 
Joseph  Smith,  said,  "Come,  go  down  to  my  house  with  me." 
We  went  and  sung  to  him  a  long  time,  and  talked  with  him. 
He  then  opened  the  subject  of  the  Twelve  and  Seventies 
for  the  first  time  I  ever  thought  of  it.  He  said,  "Brethren, 
I  am  going  to  call  out  Twelve  Apostles  I  think  we  will  get 
together,  by-and-by,  and  select  Twelve  Apostles,  and  select 
a  Quorum  of  Seventies  from  those  who  have  been  up  to 
Zion,  out  of  the  camp  boys."  In  1835  the  last  of  January 
or  in  February,  or  about  that  time,  we  held  our  meetings 
from  day  to  day,  and  Brother  Joseph  called  out  Twelve 
Apostles  at  that  time.  He  had  a  revelation  when  we  were 
singing  to  him  Those  who  were  acquainted  with  him  knew 
when  the  Spirit  of  Revelation  was  on  him,  for  his  coun- 
tenance wore  an  expression  peculiar  to  himself  while  under 


220  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  influence  He  preached  by  the  Spirit  of  Revelation,  and 
taught  in  his  council  by  it,  and  those  who  were  acquainted 
with  him  could  discover  it  at  once,  for  at  such  times  there 
was  a  peculiar  clearness  and  transparency  in  his  face  He 
followed  up  that  revelation  until  he  organized  the  Church, 
and  so  along  until  the  baptism  for  the  dead  was  revealed 
9:89. 

How  came  these  Apostles,  these  Seventies,  these  High 
Priests,  and  all  this  organization  we  now  enjoy?  It  came 
by  revelation.  Father  Cahoon,  who  lately  died  in  your 
neighborhood,  was  one  of  the  first  ordained  to  the  office 
of  High  Priest  in  this  Kingdom  In  the  year  1831  the 
Prophet  Joseph  went  to  Ohio.  He  left  the  State  of  New 
York  on  the  last  of  April,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  and  ar- 
rived m  Kirtland  sometime  in  May  They  held  a  General 
Conference,  which  was  the  first  General  Conference  ever 
called  or  held  in  Ohio  Joseph  then  received  a  revelation, 
and  ordained  High  Priests  You  read  in  the  book  of  Doc- 
trine and  Covenants  how  he  received  the  Priesthood  in  the 
first  place  It  is  there  stated  how  Joseph  received  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood.  John  the  Baptist  came  to  Joseph 
Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery  When  a  person  passes  behind 
the  veil,  he  can  only  officiate  in  the  spirit-world,  but  when 
he  is  resurrected  he  officiates  as  a  resurrected  being,  and 
not  as  a  mortal  being.  You  read  in  the  revelation  that 
Joseph  was  ordained,  as  it  is  written.  When  he  received 
the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  he  had  another  revelation 
Peter,  James,  and  John  came  to  him  You  can  read  the 
revelation  at  your  leisure.  When  he  received  this  revelation 
m  Kirtland,  the  Lord  revealed  to  him  that  he  should  begin 
and  ordain  High  Priests ,  and  he  then  ordained  quite  a  num- 
ber, all  whose  names  I  do  not  now  recollect;  but  Lyman 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  221 

Wight  was  one,  Fathers  Cahoon  and  Morley,  John  Mur- 
dock,  Sidney  Rigdon,  and  others  were  also  then  ordained. 
These  were  the  first  that  were  ordained  to  this  office  in  the 
Church.  I  relate  this  to  show  you  how  Joseph  proceeded 
step  by  step  in  organizing  the  Church.  At  that  time  there 
were  no  Seventies  nor  Twelve  Apostles  9  88-89. 

Joseph  Smith  never  would  permit  the  Seventies  to  get 
together  and  believe  themselves  a  separate  body  from  the 
rest  of  the  Church  I  never  cared  much  about  this,  for  I 
was  not  a  particle  afraid  that  they  would  get  any  power 
that  truly  does  not  belong  to  them ;  for,  if  they  did,  I  was 
always  satisfied  that  it  would  be  blown  to  the  four  winds 
I  want  to  inform  the  Seventies  living  in  Bishop  Miller's 
Ward  (and  what  I  now  say  applies  to  all  the  other  Wards 
and  Bishops)  if  he  calls  on  them  to  act  as  Teachers,  it  is 
their  imperative  duty  to  act  as  Teachers,  seeking  to  benefit 
and  bless  the  people  by  enlarging  their  understandings,  that 
they  may  prove  themselves  before  God  and  one  another 
There  is  a  world  of  intelligence  to  impart,  and  the  Priest- 
hood (in  its  various  callings,  appointments,  helps,  and  gov- 
ernments) is  the  means,  through  its  ministers,  of  imparting 
it  to  the  people.  It  is  not  a  duty  of  a  Seventy  or  High 
Priest,  who  is  appointed  a  Teacher  or  a  Bishop,  to  neglect 
the  duties  of  those  callings  to  attend  a  Seventies1  or  High 
Priests'  meeting  Attend  to  the  wishes  of  your  Bishop,  and 
never  ask  who  has  the  most  power.  The  man  who  has  the 
most  power  with  God  will  wield  it,  and  earth  and  hell  can- 
not hinder  it.  Every  man  who  has  true  influence  has  ob- 
tained it  before  God  through  faithfulness,  and  in  all  such 
cases  there  is  not  the  least  danger  but  what  he  will  have  it 
before  the  Saints.  It  is  the  man  who  converses  with  the 
heavens,  who  delights  in  doing  so,  and  knows  for  himself 


222  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  this  is  the  Kingdom  of  God,  who  lias  true  influence 
992 

There  is  no  retrograde  movement  in  ordaining  a  High 
Priest  to  the  office  of  a  Bishop,  for,  properly  speaking,  he 
is  set  apart  to  act  in  that  office.  10  96 

We  shall  dissolve  the  present  High  Council  of  this 
Stake  Many  of  them  are  far  advanced  in  years,  and  some 
of  them  live  at  considerable  distances  from  this  city.  They 
have  labored  according  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  7.337. 

The  Bishop  and  the  Aaronic  Priesthood— The  office  of 
a  Bishop  belongs  to  the  lesser  Priesthood  He  is  the  highest 
officer  in  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  and  has  the  privilege  of 
using  the  Unm  and  Thummim— has  the  administration  of 
angels,  if  he  has  faith,  and  lives  so  that  he  can  receive  and 
enjoy  the  blessings  Aaron  enjoyed  At  the  same  time,  could 
Aaron  rise  up  and  say,  "I  have  as  much  power  and  author- 
ity as  you,  Moses ?"  No,  for  Moses  held  the  keys  and 
authority  above  all  the  rest  upon  the  earth  He  holds  the 
keys  of  the  Priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  which  is  the  Priest- 
hood of  the  Son  of  God,  which  holds  the  keys  of  all  these 
Priesthoods,  dispensing  the  blessings  and  privileges  of  both 
Priesthoods  to  the  people,  as  he  did  in  the  days  of  the  Chil- 
dren of  Israel  when  he  led  them  out  of  Egypt  9  87. 

I  will  say  a  few  words  with  regard  to  a  Bishop  Ex- 
cept we  find  a  literal  descendant  of  Aaron,  a  man  has  to  be 
ordained  to  the  High  Priesthood  to  administer  as  did  Aaron 
and  hip  sons  Can  the  Bishop  baptize  the  people,  according 
to  his  Bishopric?  He  can.  When  the  people  he  has  bap- 
tized assemble  for  confirmation,  can  he  confirm  them?  He 
cannot,  under  the  power  of  his  Bishopric;  but  as  he  has 
been  ordained  to  the  office  of  a  High  Priest,  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek,  to  prepare  him  to  act  in  the  office  of  a 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  223 

Bishop  in  the  Priesthood  of  Aaron,  when  he  has  baptized 
the  people  under  the  authority  of  his  Bishopiic,  he  has  a 
right  as  a  High  Priest  to  confirm  them  into  the  Church  by 
the  laying  on  of  hands  9  280 

A  Bishop  in  his  calling  and  duty  is  with  the  Church  all 
the  time,  he  is  not  called  to  travel  abroad  to  preach,  but 
is  at  home,  he  is  not  abroad  in  the  world,  but  is  with  the 
Saints.  2  89. 

In  the  capacity  of  a  Bishop,  has  any  person  a  right  to 
direct  the  spiritual  affairs  of  the  Kingdom  of  God?  No  In 
that  capacity  his  right  is  restricted  to  affairs  m  a  temporal 
and  moral  point  of  view.  He  has  a  right  to  deal  with  the 
transgressor.  I  do  not  care  what  office  a  transgressor 
bears  m  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God,  if  he  should  be 
one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  and  come  into,  a  Bishop's 
neighborhood,  and  purloin  his  neighbor's  books,  defile  his 
neighbor's  bed,  or  commit  any  breach  of  the  moral  law,  the 
Bishop  has  a  right  to  take  that  man  before  himself  and  his 
council,  and  there  hold  him  to  answer  for  the  crime  he  has 
been  guilty  of,  and  deal  with  him  for  his  fellowship  m  the 
Church,  991. 

Who,  then,  has  the  greatest  power?  Those  who  best  do 
the  will  of  God  When  a  Bishop  calls  upon  a  man  to  of- 
ficiate as  an  assistant  to  him,  he  does  not  call  upon  him  as  a 
Seventy  or  as  a  High  Priest,  but  as  one  of  his  own  family— 
as  a  member  of  his t  Ward.  9 -93. 

Instead  of  my  believing  for  a  moment  that  Paul  wished 
to  signify  to  Timothy  that  he  must  select  a  man  to  fill  the 
office  of  a  Bishop  that  would  have  but  one  wife,  I  believe 
directly  the  reverse;  but  his  advice  to  Timothy  amounts 
simply  to  this— it  would  not  be  wise  for  you  to  ordain  a 
man  to  the  office  of  a  Bishop  unless  he  has  a  wife;  you 


224  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

must  not  ordain  a  single  or  unmarried  man  to  that  calling 
288 

The  Bishops  should  be  a  perfect  example  to  their  Wards 
in  all  things.  16 .44. 

Let  each  Bishop  attend  faithfully  to  his  Ward,  and  see 
thai:  every  man  and  woman  is  well  and  faithfully  and  prof- 
itably employed ;  that  the  sick  and  aged  are  properly  cared 
for  that  none  suffer  Let  each  Bishop  be  a  tender  and  in- 
dulgent father  to  his  Ward,  administering  a  word  of  com- 
fort and  encouragement  here,  a  word  of  advice  and  counsel 
there,  and  a  word  of  chastisement  in  another  place,  where 
needed,  without  partiality,  wisely  judging  between  man  and 
man,  caring  for  and  seeking  earnestly  the  welfare  of  all, 
watching  over  the  flock  of  God  with  the  eye  of  a  true  shep- 
herd, that  wolves  and  dogs  may  not  enter  among  the  flock 
to  rend  them  11  252. 

The  Bishops  should,  through  their  teachers,  see  that 
every  family  in  their  Wards,  who  is  able,  should  donate  what 
they  would  naturally  consume  on  the  fast  day  to  the  poor. 
12:116. 

If  a  Bishop  will  act  to  the  extent  of  his  calling  and  of- 
fice, and  magnify  it,  there  will  not  be  an  individual  in  his 
Ward  that  is  not  employed  to  the  best  advantage.  He  would 
see  that  all  lived  as  they  should,  walking  humbly  with  their 
God.  There  would  not  be  a  person  in  his  Ward  that  he  does 
not  know,  and  he  would  be  acquainted  with  their  circum- 
stances, conduct,  and  feeling,  8  146 

The  Bishops  should  set  those  whom  they  have  confi- 
dence in,  those  whom  they  know  to  be  honest,  to  be  watch- 
men on  the  tower,  and  let  them  find  out  who  are  suffering. 
3:245.' 

There  are  many  of  the  Bishops  here  today,  and  my  ad- 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  225 

vice  to  them  is  for  them  to  be  honest  with  me,  to  be  honest 
with  their  God,  to  keep  their  covenants  sacred,  and  to  make 
a  clean  breast  of  all  their  business  transactions  that  their 
consciences  may  be  void  of  offense  towards  God  and  man. 
8.316. 

When  your  Bishop  calls  upon  you,  or  advises  you  to  do 
anything  that  will  be  for  your  good,  do  not  call  that  oppres- 
sion. All  the  instruction  he  gives  will  be  calculated  to  do 
you  good,  to  raise  you  in  that  scale  of  intelligence  that  will 
make  of  you  wise  men  and  wise  women.  When  we  are 
recommended  to  do  that  which  will  lead  to  good,  that  can- 
not very  well  be  construed  into  oppression.  10:313. 

If  the  people  of  a  Ward  are  living  in  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  their  several  duties,  their  faith  and  their 
prayers  will  be  concentrated  before  the  Lord,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus,  for  and  in  behalf  of  their  Bishop,  that  he  may 
know  his  business  and  be  made  fully  capable  to  fulfil  the 
duties  of  his  calling  to  the  honor  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  the  people  11:135. 

You  have  often  heard  me  and  my  brethren  say  that  if 
the  people  in  the  capacity  of  a  Ward,  for  instance,  would 
let  their  faith  be  perfectly  united,  and  their  whole  desires 
rise  to  the  Father,  through  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
hold  their  Bishop  in  his  calling  between  God  and  them,  it 
would  hardly  be  possible  for  that  Bishop  to  do  wrong,  for 
he  would  be  filled  with  wisdom  6  98-99. 

Do  our  Bishops  labor  for  pay?  No,  if  they  are  not  cap- 
able of  getting  a  living  and  sustaining  themselves  and 
families,  and  of  filling  the  office  of  Bishop  without  pay,  they 
are  hardly  worthy  of  the  Bishopric.  If  a  High  Priest  is 
called  to  be  a  president  or  to  travel  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  nations  of  the  earth,  he  must  do  it  without  pay ;  and 


226  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

we  think  that  any  man  who  is  not  able  to  keep  himself  and 
family  and  travel  and  preach  one-half  or  two-thirds  of  his 
time  without  being  paid,  is  not  so  good  a  financier  as  he 
ought  to  be  14:108. 

I  say  to  the  Bishop  who  has  just  addressed  us,  won't 
you  do  as  I  have  formerly  directed  you,  and  appoint  good, 
wise,  judicious  men  to  go  through  your  Ward,  to  find  out 
what  is  in  that  Ward,  and  the  situation  of  every  family, 
whether  they  have  money,  flour,  or  costly  clothing  or 
whether  they  are  destitute  and  suffering?  This  is  your 
business  and  calling  Do  not  let  there  be  one  place,  in  the 
habitations  of  the  Saints  m  your  Wards,  about  which  you 
are  uninformed  Brother  Woolley  has  reported  the  circum- 
stance of  a  Bishop  finding  a  woman  who  had  been  living 
upon  the  chanty  of  her  neighbors,  and  who,  at  the  same 
time,  had  valuable  property,  and  money  hid  up  I  can  re- 
fer you  to  scores  of  like  circumstances,  and  what  is  more, 
to  some  of  the  Elders,  those  who  are  supposed  to  be  among 
the  best  of  our  Elders  3  244. 

Bishops '  Counselors  should  be  examples  to  the  Church ; 
they  should  be  like  fathers  to  the  Church  If  they  are  really 
the  Counselors  of  the  Bishop,  they  should  practice  every- 
thing that  is  good  that  he  practices ,  and  if  the  Bishop  him- 
self should  neglect  any  duty,  they  should  perform  their  duty 
as  counselors,  and  should  teach,  guide,  direct,  and  counsel 
the  Bishop  to  improve  m  his  life.  13 .275. 

The  Wards  will  be  organized  hereafter ,  Bishops  will  be 
placed  over  them,  with  their  two  Counselors,  all  of  whom 
will  be  ordained  High  Priests,  if  not  already  so  ordained, 
and  then  be  set  apart  to  act  in  their  several  offices.  They 
then  will  form  a  court ;  and  all  the  other  quorums  of  Priest- 
hood will  be  set  in  order  19:43. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  227 

Church  Organization  and  Government— The  living  or- 
acles of  the  Lord,  *  *  *  are  always  in  the  midst  of  his 
people.  10  302 

Teach  the  people  true  knowledge,  and  they  will  govern 
themselves  10  190 

The  government  of  this  Church  is  based  upon  true  prin- 
ciples, and  the  reason  people  fall  out  by  the  way  is  because 
of  their  ignorance — because  they  do  not  thoroughly  canvass 
their  acts,  and  wisely  ponder  the  probable  results  7 :65 

We  shall  never  have  the  keys  of  authority  committed  to 
us  to  be  rulers  until  we  will  rule  just  as  God  would  rule  if 
he  were  here  himself.  14  97 

But  the  Kingdom  of  heaven,  when  organized  upon  the 
earth,  will  have  every  officer,  law  and  ordinance  necessary 
for  the  managing  of  those  who  are  unruly,  or  who  trangress 
its  laws,  and  to  govern  those  who  desire  to  do  right,  but 
cannot  quite  walk  to  the  line,  and  all  these  powers  and 
authorities  are  in  existence  in  the  midst  of  this  people 
15.161. 

I  am  for  the  Kingdom  of  God  I  Hke  a  good  government, 
and  then  I  like  to  have  it  wisely  and  justly  administered 
The  government  of  heaven,  if  wickedly  administered,  would 
become  one  of  the  worst  governments  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth  No  matter  how  good  a  government  is,  unless  it  is 
administered  by  righteous  men,  an  evil  government  will  be 
made  of  it.  10  177. 

"But  we  thought  that  the  government  you  are  talking 
about  was  a  theocratic  government."  It  is;  and  it  is  the 
only  true  form  of  government  on  the  earth — the  only  one 
that  possesses  all  the  true  principles  of  republicanism  It 
puts  every  man  and  woman  right,  puts  everything  in  its 
place,  and  gives  to  each  one  his  due  according  to  his  work ; 
for  so  will  they  be  judged  in  that  day,  7 .8. 


228  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

People  have  reason  to  fear  the  bogus  or  spurious  theoc- 
racy. There  are  but  few  upon  the  earth  who  do  not  in  their 
hearts  acknowledge  a  Supreme  Being,  and  also  believe  that 
Being  to  be  holy ,  and,  if  they  could  be  dictated  by  that  Being, 
and  be  sure  that  they  were  dictated  by  the  influence  from 
him,  there  are  but  few  who  would  object  to  that  influence, 
and  that  government  7  147. 

I  wish  you  to  build  up  every  man  who  is  in  the  faith  of 
the  Gospel — who  is  in  the  faith  of  God,  angels,  and  good 
men,  and  if  you  strive  to  pull  down  good  men  who  are 
around  you,  you  are  sure  to  fall  yourselves  8  71. 

TRere  is  only  one  way  to  obtain  power  and  influence  in 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  only  one  way  to  obtain  foreknowl- 
edge, and  that  is  to  live  so  that  that  influence  will  come 
from  our  Creator,  enlightening  the  mmd  and  revealing 
things  that  are  past,  present  and  future  pertaining  to  the 
earth  and  its  inhabitants,  and  to  the  dealings  of  God  with 
the  children  of  men ;  in  short,  there  is  no  source  of  true  in- 
formation outside  of  the  Spuit  of  Revelation;  it  maketh 
manifest  all  things,  and  revealeth  the  dispositions  of  com- 
munities and  of  individuals  By  possessing  this  Spirit, 
mankind  can  obtain  power  that  is  durable,  beneficial,  and 
that  will  result  in  a  higher  state  of  knowledge,  of  honor  and 
of  glory.  This  can  be  obtained  only  by  strictly  marking  the 
path  of  truth,  and  walking  faithfully  therein.  10:104. 

It  is  the  right  and  privilege  of  every  Elder  in  Israel 
to  enjoy  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  light  of  it,  to  know  every- 
thing which  concerns  himself  and  his  individual  duties,  but 
it  is  not  his  right  and  privilege  to  dictate  his  superior  in 
office,  nor  to  give  him  counsel,  unless  he  is  called  upon  to 
do  so,  then  he  may  make  suggestions.  11  135 

Now  ask  yourselves,  and  let  me  ask  you,  who  has  been 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  229 

to  you,  individually,  and  told  you  to  vote  just  as  you  have 
voted  here  today?  Has  any  man  visited  your  habitations 
to  tell  you  that  when  you  come  to  this  house  you  must  all 
vote  precisely  alike?  I  will  pause  right  here  and  will  re- 
quest that,  if  any  person  present  has  been  so  instructed,  he 
or  she  will  let  us  know  it.  I  do  not  see  any  person  rise,  and 
I  need  not  look  for  any  one  to  do  so,  from  the  simple  fact 
that  not  a  word  on  this  subject  has  been  said  to  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  Our  doctrine  is  true  and  we  like  it;  our  faith 
is  one  and  we  are  one  in  it,  our  object  is  one  and  we  unit- 
edly pursue  the  straight  and  narrow  path  that  leads  to  it 
1491. 

If  the  time  was  that  the  Elders  of  Israel  could  not  be 
chastened  and  corrected  for  their  wrongs,  and  be  set  right, 
you  may  know  that  they  have  proved  recreant  to  the  faith 
And  if  those  who  are  appointed  to  lead  this  people  dare  not 
rise  up  and  tell  them  of  their  iniquity  and  chastise  them 
therefor,  and  teach  them  the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  you 
may  know  that  your  leaders  have  fallen  from  their  station. 
5  124 

We  will  first  present  the  Authorities  of  the  Church;  and 
I  sincerely  request  the  members  to  act  freely  and  inde- 
pendently in  voting — also  in  speaking  if  it  be  necessary 
There  has  been  no  instance  in  this  Church  of  a  person's 
being  in  the  least  curtailed  in  the  privilege  of  speaking  his 
honest  sentiments.  It  cannot  be  shown  in  the  history  of  this 
people  that  a  man  has  ever  been  injured,  either  in  person, 
property,  or  character,  for  openly  expressing,  in  the  proper 
time  and  place,  his  objections  to  any  man  holding  authority 
in  this  Church,  or  for  assigning  his  reasons  for  such  ob- 
jections Persons  have  frequently  ruined  their  own  char- 
acters by  making  false  accusations.  7:227-228. 


230  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Our  ecclesiastical  government  is  the  government  of 
heaven 

No  being  possesses  intelligence,  in  any  degree,  that  he 
has  not  received  from  the  God  of  heaven,  or,  in  other  words, 
from  the  Fountain  of  all  intelligence,  whether  he  acknowl- 
edges his  God  in  it  or  not.  No  man,  independent  of  the 
Great  Ruler  of  the  universe,  is  capable  of  devising  that 
which  we  see  and  are  well  acquainted  with.  All  mechan- 
,ism,  good  government,  wholesome  principle,  and  true  phil- 
osophy of  whatever  name  or  nature,  flows  from  God  to 
finite  man.  What  f or  ?  To  determine  what  he  will  do  with 
it  It  is  for  his  improvement  and  advancement  m  the  arts 
of  civilized  life,  morality,  and  true  religion.  This  has  been 
taught  you  from  the  beginning  as  the  unmistakable  features 
of  our  holy  religion  7  141 

Let  the  Presidents  and  Apostles  and  Eldeis  do  the  work 
the  Lord  has  set  them  to  do,  and  obey  the  counsel  which 
is  given  them,  and  the  Kingdom  will  continue  to  roll,  to  in- 
crease in  strength,  in  importance,  in  magnitude  and  in 
power,  in  wisdom,  intelligence  and  glory;  and  no  one  need 
be  concerned,  for  it  is  the  Kingdom  which  the  Lord  our  God 
has  established,  and  has  sustained  by  his  matchless  wisdom 
and  power  from  the  beginning  to  this  day  11  '253 

It  is  a  common  adage,  "Old  men  for  counsel,  &nd  young 
men  for  war  "  Until  men  born  m  the  Priesthood  grow  old 
therein  in  faithfulness,  I  would  say,  with  comparatively  few 
exceptions,  "Young  men  for  counsel,  and  young  men  for 
war."  For  knowledge  and  understanding,  I  would  rather,  as 
a  general  thing,  select  young  men  from  eighteen  years  of 
age — the  sons  of  men  who  have  been  in  this  Church  from 
the  beginning,  than  to  select  their  fathers.  Their  minds  have 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  231 

been  but  little,  if  any,  trammeled  with  erroneous  traditions 
and  teachings.  Let  the  yoke  of  the  Gospel  be  put  upon 
those  young  men  Brother  Joseph  referred  to  m  his  remaiks, 
who  have  been  sowing  their  wild  oats  for^  years,  and  they 
are  generally  better  and  more 'correct  in  the  offices  of  the 
Priesthood  than  many  of  the  gray-haired  fathers  They 
understand  more  about  God,  about  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
government  of  God  on  the  earth,  than  do  many  of  the  fath- 
ers and  grand-fathers.  7-335 

It  is  true  that  under  some  circumstances  we  may  have 
to  look  at  the  others.  For  instance,  here  is  the  High  Coun- 
cil, they  are  called  to  act  upon  cases  that  come  before  them 
Of  course  their  duty,  then,  is  to  examine  into  the  conduct  of 
their  brethren  and  sisters;  and  this  is  required  of  them 
And  if  they  do  it  without  prejudice,  without  selfishness,  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  divested  of  every  improper 
feeling,  judging  righteous  judgment  between  man  and  man, 
the  performance  of  this  duty  will  purify  them  just  as 
much  any  other  labor.  11 :292. 

It  may  be  considered  that  we  are  a  mixed  congregation, 
consisting  of  Bishops,  Seventies,  High  .Priests,  Elders,  the 
Twelve,  and  the  First  Presidency;  but  I  consider  we  are, 
strictly  speaking,  a  meeting  of  the  Elders  of  Israel ;  for  if 
we  were  to  be  instructed  in  the  duties  of  any  one  of  these 
Quorums,  that  instruction  would  be  equally  good  for  all 
6-314 

High  Councilors,  do  you  have  any  trials  before  you? 
"Yes  "  Have  the  brethren  complained  of  each  other?  "Yes." 
Are  their  feelings  alienated  one  from  the  other?  Is  there 
a  party  spirit  manifested  in  the  Council?  "Sometimes."  Do 
the  brethren  go  off  satisfied  with  the  decisions  of  the  Coun- 
cil? Bishops,  do  you  have  any  trials?  Are  the  feelings  of 


232  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  brethren  in  your  Wards  alienated  ?  "Yes."  What  should 
they  do  in  such  cases?  They  should  follow  the  rules  laid 
down,  and  be  reconciled  to  their  brethren  forthwith  I 
think  that  it  can  be  shown  that  the  great  majority  of  dif- 
ficulties between  brethren  arises  from  misunderstandings 
rather  than  from  malice  and  a  wicked  heart,  and  instead  of 
talking  the  matter  over  with  each  other  in  a  samt-like  spirit, 
they  will  contend  with  each  other  until  a  real  fault  is 
created,  and  they  have  brought  a  sin  upon  themselves. 
When  we  have  done  good  ninety-nine  times  and  then  do  an 
evil,  how  common  it  is,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  to  look  at 
that  one  evil  all  the  day  long  and  never  think  of  the  good 
Before  we  judge  each  other  we  should  look  at  the  design 
of  the  heart,  and  if  it  is  evil,  then  chasten  that  individual, 
and  take  a  course  to  bring  him  back  again  to  righteousness 
12:173. 

When  you  are  rebuked  by  each  other— when  brethren 
meet  you  and  say,  "This  is  wrong  in  you,"  you  should  re- 
ceive it  kindly,  and  express  your  thanks  for  the  reproof,  and 
acknowledge  the  wrong  frankly,  and  admit  that  you  may 
frequently  do  wrong  when  you  do  not  know  it,  and  say, 
"I  wish  you  to  enlighten  my  mind,  to  take  me  by  the  hand, 
and  let  me  go  along  hand-m-hand  and  strengthen  and  su- 
stain each  other."  What,  in  your  weaknesses ?  Yes  Do 
you  expect  to  see  a  perfect  man?  Not  while  you  stay  here 
8-367. 

You  may,  figuratively  speaking,  pound  one  Elder  over 
the  head  with  a  club,  and  he  does  not  know  but  what  you 
have  handed  him  a  straw  dipped  in  molasses  to  suck  There 
are  others,  if  you  speak  a  word  to  them,  or  take  a  straw 
and  chasten  them,  whose  hearts  are  broken;  they  are  as 
tender  in  their  feelings  as  an  infant,  and  will  melt  like  wax 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  233 

before  the  flame  You  must  not  chasten  them  severely; 
you  must  chasten  according  to  the  spirit  that  is  in  the  per- 
son. Some  you  may  talk  to  all  day  long,  and  they  do  not 
know  what  you  are  talking  about  There  is  a  great 
variety.  Treat  people  as  they  are  8  367. 

Just  a  few  words  to  the  Presidency  of  this  Stake  of  Zion 
It  is  now  their  duty  to  see  that  the  officers  within  their 
jurisdiction  perform  their  several  duties,  it  is  sufficient 
work  for  them,  too,  if  they  will  attend  to  it  The  High 
Council,  I  hope,  will  not  have  much  business  to  do.  I  am 
told  that  there  have  only  been  three  cases  during  the  last 
twenty-three  years,  that  have  gone  for  trial  before  the  High 
Council  from  Farmington  That  is  doing  very  well.  To  the 
now  acting  Bishops,  who  will  be  ordained  Bishops,  as  well 
as  to  Brother  Hess,  who  I  believe  is  the  only  ordained 
Bishop  in  the  county,  I  will  say  that  you  will  now  be  re- 
quired to  look  after  your  several  Wards  more  assiduously 
than  heretofore ;  see  that  Teachers  are  diligent  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  duties,  and  that  all  difficulties  that  may 
arise  among  the  brethren  of  the  Ward 'be  settled,  if  pos- 
sible, by  the  Teachers ;  and  also  see  that  all  who  claim  mem- 
bership in  this  Church  observe  the  moral  law  of  our  re- 
ligion We  shall  not  expect  to  hear  of  people  breaking  the 
Sabbath,  and  a  hundred  other  things  all  of  which  are  in- 
consistent with  our  holy  callings,  and  opposed  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  the  work  that  the  Father  has  given  us  to 
do.  You  are  called  upon  now  to  make  yourselves  familiar 
with  the  revelations  and  commandments  that  have  been 
given  us  of  the  Lord  for  our  perfection,  for  our  sanctifica- 
tion  preparatory  to  our  exaltation,  and  so  live  that  our  acts 
and  conversations  may  conform  to  the  same  You  are 
called  upon  now  to  improve  your  ways,  to  seek  with  all 


234  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

earnestness  for  an  increase  of  faith  that  you  may  live  ac- 
cording to  the  higher  laws,  which  is  your  privilege  to  do, 
and  which  is  so  necessary  for  our  peace  and  comfort  and 
for  the  good  order  of  society  and  for  the  salvation  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  19  43. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

Importance  of  the  Principles  of  the  Gospel — By  faith- 
fully attending  to  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel  laid 
down  in  the  New  Testament,  you  are  introduced  into  the 
knowledge  of  the  works  of  God  in  the  dispensation  of  the 
fulness  of  time.  1  -244. 

To  understand  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel — to 
rightly  understand  them,  a  man  must  have  the  wisdom  that 
comes  from  above;  he  must  be  enlightened  by  the  Holy 
Ghost;  his  mind  must  be  in  open  vision;  he  must  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  salvation  himself,  in  order  to  impart  them  to 
others.  6:283. 

Need  of  Ordinances — There  is  no  ordinance  that  God  has 
delivered  by  his  own  voice,  through  his  Son  Jesus  Christ, 
or  by  the  mouths  of  any  of  his  Prophets,  Apostles  or 
Evangelists,  that  is  useless  Every  ordinance,  every  com- 
mandment and  requirement  is  necessary  for  the  salvation 
of  the  human  family.  13 :215. 

With  regard  to  the  ordinances  of  God,  we  may  remark 
that  we  yield  obedience  to  them  because  he  requires  it; 
and  every  iota  of  his  requirements  has  a  rational  philos- 
ophy with  it.  We  do  not  get  up  things  on  a  hypothesis. 
That  philosophy  reaches  to  all  eternity,  and  is  the  philos- 
ophy that  the  Latter-day  Saints  believe  in.  Every  particle 
of  truth  that  every  person  has  received  is  a  gift  of  God. 
We  receive  these  truths,  and  go  on  from  glory  to  glory, 
from  eternal  lives  to  eternal  lives,  gaining  a  knowledge  of 
all  things,  and  becoming  Gods,  even  Sons  of  God.  These 
are  the  celestial  ones.  These  are  they  whom  the  Lord  has 


236  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

chosen  through  their  obedience  They  have  not  spurned 
the  truth,  when  they  have  heard  it.  These  are  they  that 
have  not  spurned  the  Gospel,  but  have  acknowledged  Jesus 
and  God  in  their  true  character,  that  have  acknowledged 
the  angels  in  their  true  character  These  are  they  that 
work  for  the  salvation  of  the  human  family.  19.50. 

Because  we  believe  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  the  or- 
dinance of  the  sacrament  is  not  to  be  done  away.  To  learn 
that,  if  you  believe  in  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  you  are  not  to  deny  the  laying  on 
of  hands  for  the  healing  of  the  sick.  It  is  not  for  people  to 
take  only  part  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  say,  "It  is  all 
we  require,"  but  take  the  whole  truth  wherever  you  find 
it.  It  is  good ;  claim  it,  take  it  to  yourself,  and  cleave  to  it, 
for  it  will  do  you  good.  Cease  to  separate  truth  from  truth 
8:260. 

However  much  we  may  profess  attachment  to  God  and 
his  cause  we  are  not  entitled  to  the  blessings  and  privileges 
of  his  Kingdom  until  we  become  citizens  therein  How  can 
we  do  this?  By  repenting  of  our  sins,  and  obeying  the  re- 
quirements of  the  Gospel  of  the  'Son  of  God  which  has  been 
delivered  to  us.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  people  have  be- 
lieved on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  repented  of  their  sins, 
and  have  had  the  Holy  Spirit  to  witness  unto  them  that  God 
is  love,  that  they  loved  him  and  that  he  loved  them,  and 
yet  they  are  not  m  his  Kingdom.  They  have  not  complied 
with  the  necessary  requirements,  they  have  not  entered  in 
at  the  door.  13 .57. 

Faith— The  Gospel  that  we  preach  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation ;  and  the  first  principle  of  that  Gospel  is,  as 
I  have  already  said,  faith  in  God,  and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
his  Son,  our  Savior  We  must  believe  that  he  is  the  char- 


THE   FIRST   PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  GOSPEL  237 

acter  he  is  represented  to  be  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Believe 
that  he  told  the  truth  when  he  said  to  his  disciples,  "Go  ye 
forth  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature;  he  that  be- 
lieveth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned."  We  must  believe  that  this  same 
Jesus  was  crucified  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  that  is  for  the 
original  sin,  not  the  actual  individual  transgressions  of  the 
people ;  not  but  that  the  blood  of  Christ  will  cleanse  from  all 
sin,  all  who  are  disposed  to  act  their  part  by  repentance, 
and  faith  in  his  name.  But  the  original  sin  was  atoned  for 
by  the  death  of  Christ,  although  its  effects  we  still  see  in 
the  diseases,  distempers  and  every  species  of  wickedness 
with  which  the  human  family  is  afflicted.  13 .143, 

Faith  is  an  eternal  principle;  belief  is  an  admission  of 
the  fact.  Faith,  to  us,  is  the  gift  of  God ;  belief  is  inherent 
in  the  children  of  men,  and  is  the  foundation  for  the  recep- 
tion of  faith.  Belief  and  unbelief  are  independent  in  men, 
the  same  as  other  attributes.  Men  can  acknowledge  or  re- 
ject, turn  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  rise  up  or  remain  seated, 
you  can  say  that  the  Lord  and  his  Gospel  are  not  worthy  of 
notice,  or  you  can  bow  to  them.  8:16.  - 

Belief  is  inherent  in  the  creature — implanted  within  him 
for  his  use  and  benefit — to  believe  or  disbelieve.  Your  own 
experience  may  satisfy  you  that  faith  is  not  brought  into 
requisition  by  the  presentation  of  either  facts  or  falsehoods 
to  the  external  senses,  or  to  the  inward  perceptions  of  the 
mind.  If  we  speak  of  faith  in  the  abstract,  it  is  the  power 
of  God  by  which  the  worlds  are  and  were  made,  and  is  a  gift 
of  God  to  those  who  believe  and  obey  his  commandments. 
On  the  other  hand,  no  living,  intelligent  being,  whether 
serving  God  or  not,  acts  without  belief.  He  might  as  well 
undertake  to  live  without  breathing  as  to  live  without  the 


238  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

principle  of  belief  But  he  must  believe  the  truth,  obey  the 
truth,  and  practice  the  truth,  to  obtain  the  power  of  God 
called  faith.  8.259-260. 

When  men  are  in  the  habit  of  philosophising  upon  every 
point,  only  relying  upon  what  we  call  human  reason,  they 
are  constantly  liable  to  error.  But  place  a  man  in  a  situa- 
tion where  he  is  obliged  or  compelled,  in  order  to  sustain 
himself,  to  have  faith  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  it 
brings  him  to  a  point  where  he  will  know  for  himself ,  and 
happy  are  those  who  pass  through  trials,  if  they  maintain 
their  integrity  and  their  faith  to  their  calling  7:158. 

When  you  believe  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  and  at- 
tain unto  faith,  which  is  a  gift  of  God,  he  adds  more  faith, 
adding  faith  to  faith  He  bestows  faith  upon  his  creatures 
as  a  gift ;  but  his  creatures  inherently  possess  the  privilege 
of  believing  the  Gospel  to  be  true  or  false  8:17 

If  the  people  will  only  be  full  of  good  works,  I  will  in- 
sure that  they  will  have  faith  in  time  of  need.  3  154 

There  is  no  saving  faith  merely  upon  the  principles  of 
believing  or  acknowledging  a  fact  Take  a  course  to  let  the 
Spirit  of  God  leave  your  hearts,  and  every  soul  of  you  would 
apostatize.  7 :55. 

It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  believe  the  truth. 
It  is  a  great  deal  easier  to  believe  truth  than  error.  It  is 
easier  to  defend  the  truth  than  to  defend  error.  19:42. 

We  are  under  obligation  to  trust  in  our  God,  and  this 
is  the  ground-work  of  all  we  can  do  ourselves.  4  356 

The  first  principle  of  the  Gospel  is  faith  in  God — faith 
in  a  Supreme  Being.  This  is  a  point  that  meets  the  infidel, 
and  is  one  upon  which  I  have  reflected  and  talked  a  great 
deal,  and  I  have  come  to  this  conclusion — that  good,  solid, 
sound  sense  teaches  me  never  to  judge  a  matter  until  I 


THE  FIRST   PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   GOSPEL  239 

understand  it,  and  infidels  should  never  pass  their  opinion 
with  regard  to  the  character  of  a  Supreme  Being  until  they 
know  whether  there  is  one  or  not.  If  this  principle  were 
an  article  in  the  creed  of  the  infidel  world,  I  think  they 
would  not  be  quite  so  sceptical  as  they  are;  I  think  we 
should  not  meet  with  any  person  who  would  deny  the  ex- 
istence of  a  Deity.  The  infidel  looks  abroad  and  sees  the 
works  of  nature,  in  all  their  diversity— the  mountain  pierc- 
ing the  clouds  with  its  snowy  peaks,  the  mighty  river, 
fertilizing,  in  its  course  to  the  sea,  the  valleys  and  plains  in 
every  direction,  the  sun  in  his  glory  at  mid-day,  the  moon 
m  her  silvery  splendor,  and  the  myriad  organizations  from 
man  to  trie  minutest  form  of  insect  life,  all  giving  the  most 
irrefutable  evidence  of  a  Designer  and  Creator  of  infinite 
wisdom,  skill  and  power,  and  yet  he  says  there  is  no  Deity, 
no  Supreme  Ruler,  but  all  is  the  result  of  blind  chance 
How  preposterous '  Now,  here  is  a  book  called  the  Bible 
It  is  enclosed  in  what  we  call  the  cover,  consisting  of 
boards,  paper  and  leather.  Within  the  covers  we  see  a 
vast  amount  of  writing—- syllables,  words  and  sentences; 
now  if  we  say  there  never  was  a  person  to  compose,  write, 
print  or  bind  this  book,  but  that  it  is  here  wholly  as  the 
result  of  chance,  we  shall  only  give  expression  to  the  faith, 
if  faith  it  can  be  called,  of  those  -who  are  termed  infidels ,  in 
fact  this  is  infidelity  I  do  not  want  to  say  much  about  it, 
it  is  too  vain!  13,142. 

When  you  read  the  revelations,  or  when  you  hear  the 
will  of  the  Lord  concerning  you,  for  your  own  sakes  never 
receive  that  with  a  doubtful  heart.  3 :336. 

To  explain  how  much  confidence  we  should  have  in 
God,  were  I  using  a  term  to  suit  myself,  I  should  say  implied 
confidence  I  have  faith  in  my  God,  and  that  faith  corresponds 


240  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

with  the  works  I  produce.  I  have  no  confidence  in  faith  without 
works.  4.24. 

My  faith  is,  when  we  have  done  all  we  can,  then  the 
Lord  is  under  obligation,  and  will  not  disappoint  the  faith- 
ful ,  he  will  perform  the  rest.  4  '91 

A  great  many  good  people,  who  possess  much  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord,  are  naturally  given  to  doubting,  having 
so  little  self-reliance  that  they  sometimes  doubt  whether 
they  are  Saints  in  truth  or  not.  These  often  doubt  when 
they  should  not.  So  long  as  they  are  walking  humbly  be- 
fore God,  keeping  his  commandments,  and  observing  his 
ordinances,  feeling  willing  to  give  all  for  Christ,  and  do 
everything  that  will  promote  his  Kingdom,  they  need  never 
doubt,  for  the  Spirit  will  testify  to  them  whether  they  are 
of  God  or  not.  There  are  some  who  are  always  fearful, 
trembling,  doubting,  wavering,  and  at  the  same  time  doing 
everything  they  can  for  the  promotion  of  righteousness. 
Yet,  they  are  in  doubt  whether  they  are  doing  the  best 
possible  good,  and  they  fear  and  fail  here  and  there,  and 
will  doubt  their  own  experience  and  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit  to  them.  12:169. 

When  a  person  is  placed  in  circumstances  that  he  can- 
not possibly  obtain  one  particle  of  anything  to  sustain  life, 
it  would  then  be  his  privilege  to  exercise  faith  in  God  to 
feed  him,  who  might  cause  a  raven  to  pick  up  a  piece  of 
dried  meat  from  some  quarter  where  there  was  plenty,  and 
drop  it  over  the  famishing  man.  When  I  cannot  feed  my- 
self through  the  means  God  has  placed  in  my  power,  it  is 
then  time  enough  for  him  to  exercise  his  providence  in  an 
unusual  manner  to  administer  to  my  wants.  But  while  we 
can  help  ourselves,  it  is  our  duty  to  do  so.  If  a  Saint  of 
God  be  locked  up  in  prison,  by  his  enemies,  to  starve-  to 


THE   FIRST   PRINCIPLES   OF   THE  GOSPEL  241 

death,  it  is  then  time  enough  for  God  to  interpose,  and  feed 
him  1 ,108 

Are  you  full  of  faith?  You  can  tell  whether  I  am  or  not 
by  looking  at  me  You  can  tell  whether  the  brethren  who 
have  been  speaking  to  you  are  full  of  faith  in  the  Gospel 
by  the  look  of  their  countenances  You  can  see  this  if  there 
is  not  a  word  spoken ;  we  can  tell  by  our  feelings  when  we 
look  at  a  congregation  whether  they  have  faith  or  not.  I 
see  there  is  a  great  amount  of  faith  in  the  midst  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  I  wish  there  was  a  little  -more  pa- 
tience and  obedience  15.37. 

If  the  Latter-day  Saints  will  walk  up  to  their  privileges, 
and  exercise  faith  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  live  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fulness  of  the  Holy  Ghost  constantly 
day  by  day,  there  is  nothing  on  the  face  of  the  earth  that 
they  could  ask  for,  that  would  not  be  given  to  them.  The 
Lord  is  waiting  to  be  very  gracious  unto  this  people,  and 
to  pour  out  upon  them  riches,  honor,  glory  and  power,  even 
that  they  may  possess  all  things  according  to  the  promises 
he  has  made  through  his  Apostles  and  Prophets  11:114. 

When  faith  springs  up  in  the  heart,  good  works  will 
follow,  and  good  works  will  increase  that  pure  faith  within 
them.  3:155. 

The  expression,  "true  believer,"  needs  qualifying,  for 
many  believe  who  do  not  obey — I  will  qualify  it  by  saying, 
a  believer  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  manifests  his  faith  to  God, 
angels,  and  his  brethren,  by  his  obedience.  Not  but  that 
there  are  believers  who  do  not  obey,  but  the  only  true  be- 
lievers are  they  who  prove  their  belief  by  their  obedience 
to  the  requirements  of  the  Gospel  1  *234 

Our  Heavenly  Father  does  not  always  reveal  to  his  chil- 
dren the  secret  workings  of  his  providences,  nor  doe?  he 


242  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

show  them  the  end  from  the  beginning,  for  they  have  to 
learn  to  trust  in  him  who  has  promised  to  fight  our  battles, 
and  crown  us  with  victory,  if  we  are  faithful  as  was  faith- 
ful Abraham  11  13 

Repentance— Sin  consists  in  doing  wrong  when  we  know 
and  can  do  better,  and  it  will  be  punished  with  a  just 
retribution,  m  the  due  time  of  the  Lord.  2.133 

Though  we  may  do  the  best  we  know  how  at  this  time, 
can  there  be  no  improvement  made  in  our  lives?  There 
can  If  we  do  wrong  ignorantly,  when  we  learn  it  is  wrong, 
then  it  is  our  duty  to  refrain  from  that  wrong  immediately 
and  for  ever,  and  the  sin  of  ignorance  is  winked  at,  and 
passes  into  oblivion  2:130 

When  men  truly  and  heartily  repent,  and  make  manifest 
to  the  heavens  that  their  repentance  is  genuine  by  obedi- 
ence to  the  requirements  made  known  to  them  through  the 
laws  of  the  Gospel,  then  are  they  entitled  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  salvation,  and  no  power  can  withhold  the  good 
spirit  from  them.  10-18 

Now,  my  brethren,  you  who  have  sinned,  repent  of  your 
sins.  I  can  say  to  you  m  regard  to  Je^us  and  the  atonement 
(it  is  so  written,  and  I  firmly  believe  it),  that  Christ  has 
died  for  all  He  has  paid  the  full  debt,  whether  you  receive 
the  gift  or  not  But  if  we  continue  to  sin,  to  lie,  steal,  bear 
false  witness,  we  must  repent  of  and  forsake  that  sin  to 
have  the  full  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Christ  Without  this 
it  will  be  of  no  effect ,  repentance  must  come,  m  order  that 
the  atonement  may  prove  a  benefit  to  us  Let  all  who  are 
doing  wrong  cease  doing  wrong,  live  no  longer  in  trans- 
gression, no  matter  of  what  kind,  but  live  every  day  of  your 
lives  according  to  the  revelations  given,  and  so  that  your 
examples  may  be  worthy  of  imitation.  Let  us  remember 


THE   FIRST    PRINCIPLES  OF   THE  GOSPEL  243 

that  we  never  get  beyond  the  purview  of  our  religion — 
never,  never!  11  375. 

Some  of  our  old  traditions  teach  us  that  a  man.  guilty  of 
atrocious  and  murderous  acts  may  savingly  repent  when 
on  the  scaffold,  and  upon  his  execution  will  hear  the  ex- 
pression, "Bless  God  1  he  has  gone  to  heaven,  to  be  crowned 
in  glory,  through  the  all-redeeming  merits  of  Christ  the 
Lord  "  This  is  all  nonsense  Such  a  character  never  will 
see  heaven  Some  will  pray,  "0  that  I  had  passed  through 
the  veil  on  the  night  of  my  conversion '"  This  proves  the 
false  ideas  and  vain  notions  entertained  by  the  Christian 
world.  8  61. 

When  I  first  came  into  the  Church  it  was  a  subject  of 
considerable  thought  to  me  why  people  whom  I  knew  to 
be  as  good  and  moral  as  they  could  be,  should  have  to  re- 
pent. But  I  could  see  afterwards  that  if  they  had  nothing 
else  to  repent  of  they  could  and  ought  to  repent  of  their 
false  religions,  of  their  narrow,  contracted  creeds  in  which 
they  were  bound,  of  the  ordinances  of  men,  and  get  some- 
thing better.  These  narrow,  contracted  religions  have 
spread  infidelity  in  the  world  They  should  repent  of  these 
and  take  hold  of  the  things  of  God  and  receive  the  truths 
of  heaven.  "Well,"  say  the  ministers,  "we  have  lived  ac- 
cording to  the  light  we  have  received  "  We  say,  are  you 
\\ilhng  to  receive  more?  If  so,  here  is  more  for  you.  So 
far  as  your  faith  in  Christ  goes,  and  your  morality,  we  say, 
Amen  But  here  is  something  more  16:43. 

The  Savior  has  warned  us  to  be  careful  how  we  judge, 
forgiving  each  other  seven  times  seventy  in  a  day,  if  we 
repent,  and  confess  our  sins  one  to  another.  Can  we  be 
more  merciful  and  forgiving  than  our  Father  in  Heaven  ? 
We  cannot.  Therefore  let  people  do  the  best  they  can,  and 


244  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

they  will  pave  the  way  for  the  rising  generation  to  walk 
up  into  the  light,  wisdom,  and  knowledge  of  the  angels, 
and  of  the  redeemed  from  this  earth,  to  say  nothing  of  other 
earths,  and  they  will  be  prepared  to  enjoy  in  the  resurrec- 
tion all  the  blessings  which  are  for  the  faithful,  and  enjoy 
them  in  the  flesh.  2,132. 

We  should  never  cease  reforming  and  seeking  to  the 
Lord  our  God.  4.269. 

All  I  have  ever  asked  for  or  contended  for  is  a  reforma- 
tion in  the  life  of  this  people;  that  the  thief  should  stop  his 
stealing,  the  swearer  his  swearing,  the  liar  his  lying,  the 
deceiver  his  deceiving,  and  the  man  who  loves  the  world 
more  than  his  God  and  his  religion  wean  his  affections  from 
those  objects  and  place  them  where  they  of  right  belong 
I  do  not  wish  anybody  to  cherish  a  wild  enthusiasm,  so 
common  in  the  world,  which  is  produced  by  the  excitement 
of  animal  passions,  and  makes  people  weep  and  cry  out  in 
an  insane  manner.  I  wish  the  people  to  make  themselves 
acquainted  with  facts  pertaining  to  God,  to  heaven,  to  man- 
kind upon  the  earth,  their  errand  here,  for  what  they  are 
created,  the  nature  of  their  organization,  who  has  power 
over  them,  who  controls  them,  how  much  they  can  control 
themselves,  etc,,  etc. ;  and  then  let  us  see  whether  we  can 
be  men  and  conduct  ourselves  like  Saints,  or  live  and  act 
like  the  wicked  9.103. 

Keep  your  follies  that  do  not  concern  others  to  your- 
selves, and  keep  your  private  wickedness  as  still  as  possi- 
ble; hide  it  from  the  eyes  of  the  public  gaze  as  far  as  you 
can.  I  wish  to  say  this  upon  this  particular  point  in  regard 
to  people's  confessing  We  wish  to  see  people  honestly 
confess  as  they  should  and  what  they  shoUd.  8  362, 


THE  FIRST   PRINCIPLES   OF  THE  GOSPEL  245 

If  I  have  injured  any  person,  I  ought  to  confess  to  that 
person  and  make  right  what  I  did  wrong.  8.361. 

But  if  you  have  stolen  your  neighbor's  cattle,  own  it,  and 
restore  the  property,  with  fourfold  if  it  is  requested  If  you 
have  taken  your  neighbor's  spade,  own  it,  and  return  it, 
with  fourfold  if  he  requires  it  I  believe  in  coming  out  and 
being  plain  and  honest  with  that  which  should  be  made 
public,  and  in  keeping  to  yourselves  that  which  should  be 
kept.  If  you  have  your  weaknesses,  keep  them  hid  from 
your  brethren  as  much  as  you  can.  You  never  hear  me  ask 
the  people  to  tell  their  follies  But  when  we  ask  the 
brethren,  as  we  frequently  do,  to  speak  in  sacrament  meet- 
ings, we  wish  them,  if  they  have  injured  their  neighbors, 
to  confess  their  wrongs,  but  do  not  tell  about  your  non- 
sensical conduct  that  nobody  knows  of  but  yourselves.  Tell 
to  the  public  that  which  belongs  to  the  public  If  you  have 
sinned  against  the  people,  confess  to  them.  If  you  have 
sinned  against  a  family  or  a  neighborhood,  go  to  them  and 
confess.  If  you  have  sinned  against  your  Ward,  confess  to 
your  Ward  If  you  have  sinned  against  one  individual,  take 
that  person  by  yourselves  and  make  your  confession  to 
him.  And  if  you  have  sinned  against  your  God,  or  against 
yourselves,  confess  to  God,  and  keep  the  matter  to  your- 
selves, for  I  do  not  want  to  know  anything  about  it.  8:362. 

Baptism— We,  the  Latter-day  Saints,  believe  in  being 
baptized  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins,  according 
to  the  testimony  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus  and  the  revela- 
tions of  the  Lord  given  in  these  last  days.  Infants  are  pure, 
they  have  neither  sorrow  of  heart,  nor  sins  to  repent  of  and 
forsake,  and  consequently  are  incapable  of  being  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sin.  If  we  have  sinned,  we  must  know 
good  from  evil;  an  infant  does  not  know  this,  it  cannot 


246  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

know  it ,  it  has  not  grown  into  the  idea  of  contemplation  of 
good  and  evil ;  it  has  not  the  capacity  to  listen  to  the  parent 
or  teacher  or  to  the  priest  when  they  tell  what  is  right  or 
wrong  or  what  is  injurious;  and  until  these  things  are 
understood  a  person  cannot  be  held  accountable  and  conse- 
quently cannot  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sin  13  237 

The  Lord  has  instituted  laws  and  ordinances,  and  all 
have  their  peculiar  design  and  meaning  And  though  we 
may  not  know  the  origin  of  the  necessity  of  being  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  it  answers  that  portion  of  the  law 
we  are  now  under  to  teach  the  people  in  their  ignorance  that 
water  is  designed  for  purification,  and  to  instruct  them  to 
be  baptized  therein  for  the  remission  of  their  sins  If  the 
people  could  fully  understand  this  matter,  they  would  per- 
ceive that  it  is  perfectly  reasonable  and  has  been  the  law 
to  all  worlds.  7  162-163. 

What  is  required  of  us  as  soon  as  we  come  to  the  years 
of  accountability?  It  is  required  of  us,  for  it  is  an  in^titu- 
tion  of  heaven,  the  origin  of  which  you  and  I  cannot  tell, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  it  has  no  beginning,  it  is  from 
eternity  to  eternity — it  is  required  of  us  to  go  down  into 
the  waters  of  baptism  Here  is  a  fountain  or  element, 
typical  of  the  purity  of  the  eternities  Go  down  into  the 
waters,  and  there  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and 
then  have  hands  laid  upon  us  to  confirm  us  members  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  Then  receive 
the  Spirit  of  Truth,  or  the  Holy  Ghost  Then  live  accord- 
ing to  every  word  that  proceeds  out  of  the  mouth  of  God, 
through  those  men  whom  he  has  appointed  here  upon  the 
earth,  until  we  are  perfect.  19  48 

If  you  have  been  righteous  from  your  birth  up,  and 
have  never  committed  known  sins  and  transgressions,  be 


THE    FIRST    PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   GOSPEL  247 

baptized  to  fulfil  all  righteousness,  as  Jesus  was  If  you 
can  say  you  have  no  sins  to  repent  of,  forsake  your  false 
theories,  and  love  and  serve  God  with  an  undivided  heart 
14  281. 

Has  water,  in  itself,  any  virtue  to  wash  away  sin?  Cer- 
tainly not,  but  the  Lord  said,  "If  the  sinner  will  repent  of 
his  sins,  and  go  down  into  the  waters  of  baptism,  and  there 
be  buried  in  the  likeness  of  being  put  into  the  earth  and 
buried,  and  again  be  delivered  from  the  water,  in  the  like- 
ness of  being  born — if  in  the  sincerity  of  his  heart  he  will 
do  this,  his  sins  shall  be  washed  away.  Will  the  water  of 
itself  wash  them  away?  No;  but  keeping  the  command- 
ments of  God  will  cleanse  away  the  stain  of  sin  2  4, 

In  the  beginning  God  cursed  the  earth ;  but  did  he  curse 
all  things  pertaining  to  it?  No,  he  did  not  curse  the  water, 
but  he  blessed  it.  Pure  water  is  cleansing— it  serves  to 
purify ,  and  you  are  aware  that  the  ancient  Saints  were  very 
tenacious  with  regard  to  their  purification  by  water  From 
the  beginning  the  Lord  instituted  water  for  that  purpose 
among  others  I  do  not  mean  from  the  beginning  of  this 
earth  alone,  and  although  we  have  no  immediate  concern 
in  inquiring  into  the  organization  of  other  earths  that  do 
not  come  within  reach  of  our  investigation,  yet  I  will  say 
that  water  has  been  the  means  of  purification  in  every 
world  that  has  been  organized  out  of  the  immensity  of 
matter.  7,162. 

All  Latter-day  Saints  enter  the  new  and  everlasting 
covenant  when  they  enter  this  Church.  They  covenant  to 
cease  sustaining,  upholding  and  cherishing  the  kingdom  of 
the  Devil  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  They  enter  the 
new  and  everlasting  covenant  to  sustain  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  no  other  kingdom  They  take  a  vow  of  the  most 


248  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

solemn  kind,  before  the  heavens  and  earth,  and  that,  too, 
upon  the  validity  of  their  own  salvation,  that  they  will  sus- 
tain truth  and  righteousness  instead  of  wickedness  and 
falsehood,  and  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God,  instead  of  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world.  12  230. 

You  have  not  the  power  to  baptize  yourselves,  neither 
have  you  power  to  resurrect  yourselves ;  and  you  could  not 
legally  baptize  a  second  person  for  the  remission  of  sins 
until  some  person  first  baptized  you  and  ordained  you  to 
this  authority  6  275. 

Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost— In  the  New  Testament  and 
Book  of  Mormon,  we  learn  that  when  the  Gospel  is 
preached  the  people  are  taught  to  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  to  repent  of  their  sins,  be  baptized  for  the  remis- 
sion of  sin,  and  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on 
of  hands;  the  Holy  Ghost  is  then  the  special  gift  of  the 
Father  and  is  his  minister  He  also  gives  intelligence  by 
angels,  as  well  as  by  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
by  opening  the  minds  of  the  Saints  to  behold  in  vision 
things  as  they  are  in  eternity.  When  true  doctrines  are 
advanced,  though  they  may  be  new  to  the  hearers,  yet  the 
principles  contained  therein  are  perfectly  natural  and  easy 
to  be  understood,  so  much  so  that  the  hearers  often  imagine 
that  they  had  always  known  them  This  arises  from  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Spirit  of  Truth  upon  the  spirit  of  intelligence 
that  is  within  each  person.  The  influence  that  comes  from 
heaven  is  all  the  time  teaching  the  children  of  men  9  254 

We  believe  we  are  entitled  to  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
in  extent  according  to  the  discretion  and  wisdom  of  God 
and  our  faithfulness;  which  gift  brings  all  things  to  our 
remembrance,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  that  are  neces- 
sary for  us  to  know,  and  as  far  as  our  minds  are  prepared 


THE   FIRST   PRINCIPLES  OF   THE   GOSPEL  249 

to  receive  the  knowledge  of  God  revealed  by  that  all-wise 
Agent.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  God's  minister,  and  is  dele- 
gated to  visit  the  sons  and  daughters  of  men.  All  intelli- 
gent beings  pertaining  to  this  earth  are  instructed  from 
the  same  source.  9:254. 

The  Holy  Ghost  reveals  unto  you  things  past,  present, 
and  to  come ,  it  makes  your  minds  quick  and  vivid  to  under- 
stand the  handiwork  of  the  Lord  Your  joy  is  made  full 
in  beholding  the  footsteps  of  our  Father  going  forth  among 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth ;  this  is  invisible  to  the  world, 
but  it  is  made  visible  to  the  Saints,  and  they  behold  the 
Lord  in  his  providences,  bringing  forth  the  work  of  the 
last  days  4:22. 

My  knowledge  is,  if  you  will  follow  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  as  recorded  in  the  New 
Testament,  every  man  and  woman  will  be  put  in  possession 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  every  person  will  become  a  Prophet, 
Seer,  and  Revelator,  and  an  expounder  of  truth.  They  will 
know  things  that  are,  that  will  be,  and  that  have  been 
They  will  understand  things  in  Leaven,  things  on  the  earth, 
and  things  under  the  earth,  things  of  time,  and  things  of 
eternity,  according  to  their  several  callings  and  capacities. 
1  243. 

There  is  a  variety  of  blessings,  a  different  blessing 
being  probably  given  to  one,  two,  three  or  four  of  this  con- 
gregation. Thus,  one  will  have  faith  to  lay  hands  upon  the 
sick  and  rebuke  disease,  and  drive  it  from  the  person  af- 
flicted Many  may  receive  this  blessing  of  faith,  the  gift 
of  healing  Some  may  receive  faith  to  the  discerning  of 
spirits;  they  can  discern  the  spirit  of  a  person,  whether  it 
is  good  or  evil.  They  have  such  power  that  when  a  persbn 
enters  this  congregation  they  can  tell  the  spirit  of  such 


250  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

person ,  then  they  have  received  the  gift  of  discerning  of 
spirits.  Some  may  receive  the  gift  of  tongues,  that  they 
will  get  up  and  speak  in  tongues,  and  speak  in  many  other 
languages  beside  their  mother  tongue,  the  language  that 
they  were  brought  up  in,  that  they  were  first  taught,  and 
be  able  to  proclaim  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  that  all 
men  could  understand  it  These  are  the  blessings,  but 
others  might  receive  the  gift  of  prophecy,  get  up  and 
prophesy  what  is  to  befall  this  nation,  what  will  befall  this 
or  that  individual,  and  what  will  befall  the  different  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  etc.  16.164. 

The  gifts  of  the  Gospel  are  given  to  strengthen  the  faith 
of  the  believer.  10.324. 

Suppose  you  obey  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  and 
do  not  speak  in  tongues  today,  never  mind  that.  Suppose 
you  do  not  have  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  no  matter  Suppose 
you  do  not  receive  any  particular  gift  attended  by  the  rush- 
ing of  a  mighty  wind,  as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  there  is 
no  particular  necessity  that  you  should  On  the  day  of 
Pentecost  there  was  special  need  for  it,  it  was  a  peculiarly 
trying  time.  Some  special  and  powerful  manifestation  of 
the  power  of  the  Almighty  was  necessary  to  open  the  eyes 
of  the  -.people  and  let  them  know  that  Jesus  has  paid  the 
debt,  and  that  they  had  actually  crucified  him  who,  by  his 
death,  had  become  the  Savior  of  the  world.  It  required 
this  at  that  time  to  convince  the  people  14  114 

The  gift  of  seeing  with  the 'natural  eyes  is  just  as  much 
a  gift  as  the  gift  of  tongues  The  Lord  gave  that  gift  and 
we  can  do  as  we  please  with  regard  to  seeing,  we  can  use 
the  sight  of  the  eye  to  the  glory  of  God,  or  to  our  own 
destruction  3 .364 

The  gift  of  communicating  one  wit\  another  is  the  gift 


THE   FIRST    PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   GOSPEL  251 

of  God,  just  as  much  so  as  the  gift  of  prophecy,  of  discern- 
ing spirits,  of  tongues,  of  healing,  or  any  other  gift,  though 
sight,  taste,  and  speech,  are  so  generally  bestowed  that  they 
are  not  considered  in  the  same  miraculous  light  as  are  those 
gifts  mentioned  in  the  Gospel. 

We  can  use  these  gifts  and  every  other  gift  God  has 
given  us,  to  the  praise  and  gflory  of  God,  to  serve  him,  or 
we  can  use  them  to  dishonor  him  and  his  cause;  we  can 
use  the  gift  of  speech  to  blaspheme  his  name.  3 :364. 

Healing  the  Sick — We  lay  hands  on  the  sick  and  wish 
them  to  be  healed,  and  pray  the  Lord  to  heal  them,  but  we 
cannot  always  say  that  he  will.  '  4 :284. 

I  am  here  to  testify  to  hundreds  of  instances,  of  men, 
women,  and  children  being  healed  by  the  power  of  God, 
through  the  laying  on  of  hands,  and  many  I  have  seen 
raised  from  the  gates  of  death,  and  brought  back  from  the 
verge  of  eternity ;  and  some  whose  spirits  had  actually  left 
their  bodies,  returned  again.  I  testify  that  I  have  seen  the 
sick  healed  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  according  to  the 
promise  of  the  Savior.  1 :240. 

When  I  lay  hands  on  the  sick,  I  expect  the  healing  power 
and  influence  of  God  to  pass  through  me  to  the  patient, 
and  the  disease  to  give  way.  I  do  not  say  that  I  heal  every- 
body I  lay  hands  on ;  but  many  have  been  healed  under  my 
administration.  Jesus  said,  on  one  occasion,  "Who  has 
touched  me?"  A  woman  had  crept  up  behind  him  in  the 
crowd,  and  touched  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and  he  knew 
it,  because  Virtue  had  gone  from  him.  Do  you  see  the  rea- 
son and  propriety  of  laying  hands  on  each  other?  When  we 
are  prepared,  when  we  are  holy  vessels  before  the  Lord, 
a  stream  of  power  from  the  Almighty  can  pass  through  the 
tabernacle  of  the  administrator  to  the  system  of  the  patient, 


252  DISCOUESES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  the  sick  are  made  whole ;  the  headache,  fever  or  other 
disease  has  to  give  way.  My  brethren  and  sisters,  there  is 
virtue  in  us  if  we  will  do  right,  if  we  live  our  religion  we 
are  the  temples  of  God  wherein  he  will  dwell ;  if  we  defile 
ourselves,  these  temples  God  will  destroy  14  72. 

Instead  of  calling  for  a  doctor  you  should  administer  to 
them  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  anointing  with  oil,  and 
give  them  mild  food,  and  herbs,  and  medicines  that  you  un- 
derstand ,  and  if  you  want  the  mind  and  will  of  God  at  such 
a  time,  get  it,  it  is  just  as  much  your  privilege  as  of  any 
other  member  of  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  It  is 
your  privilege  and  duty  to  live  so  that  you  know  when  the 
word  of  the  Lord  is  spoken  to  you  and  when  the  mind  of 
the  Lord  is  revealed  to  you.  I  say  it  is  your  duty  to  live 
so  as  to  know  and  understand  all  these  things  18  71. 

Many  people  are  unwilling  to  do  one  thing  for  them- 
selves in  case  of  sickness,  but  ask  God  to  do  it  all.  4  25 

I  am  sent  for  continually,  though  I  only  go  occasionally, 
because  it  is  a  privilege  of  every  father,  who  is  an  Elder  in 
Israel,  to  have  faith  to  heal  his  family,  just  as  much  so  as 
it  is  my  privilege  to  have  faith  to  heal  my  family;  and  if 
he  does  not  do  it  he  is  not  living  up  to  his  privilege.  It  is 
just  as  reasonable  for- him  to  ask  me  to  cut  his  wood  and 
maintain  his  family,  for  if  he  had  faith  himself  he  would 
save  me  the  trouble  of  leaving  other  duties  to  attend  to  his 
request  3 :46 

You  may  go  to  some  people  here,  and  ask  what  ails 
them,  and  they  answer,  "I  don't  know,  but  we  feel  a  dread- 
ful distress  in  the  stomach  and  in  the  back;  we  feel  all  out 
of  order,  and  we  wish  you  to  lay  hands  on  us  "  "Have  you 
used  any  remedies?"  No.  "We  wish  the  Elders  to  lay 
hands  upon  us,  and  we  have  faith  that  we  shall  be  healed  " 


THE    FIRST    PRINCIPLES   OF   THE   GOSPEL  253 

That  is  very  inconsistent  according  to  my  faith  If  we  are 
sick,  and  ask  the  Lord  to  heal  us,  and  to  do  all  for  us  that 
is  necessary  to  be  done,  according  to  my  understanding  of 
the  Gospel  of  salvation,  I  might  as  well  ask  the  Lord  to 
cause  my  wheat  and  corn  to  grow,  without  my  plowing  the 
ground  and  casting  in  the  seed.  It  appears  consistent  to 
me  to  apply  every  remedy  that  comes  within  the  range  of 
my  knowledge,  and  to  ask  my  Father  in  Heaven,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  sanctify  that  application  to  the 
healing  of  my  body;  to  another  this  may  appear  incon- 
sistent. 

But  supposing  we  were  traveling  in  the  mountains,  and 
all  we  had  or  could  get,  in  the  shape  of  nourishment,  was  a 
little  venison,  and  one  or  two  were  taken  sick,  without  any- 
thing in  the  world  in  the  shape  of  healing  medicine  within 
our  reach,  what  should  we  do ?  According  to  my  faith,  ask 
the  Lord  Almighty  to  send  an  angel  to  heal  the  sick.  This 
is  our  privilege,  when  so  situated  that  we  cannot  get  any- 
thing to  help  ourselves.  Then  the  Lord  and  his  servants 
can  do  all.  But  it  is  my  duty  to  do,  whsr  I  have  it  in  my 
power.  4 :24. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  SABBATH;  MEETINGS;  THE  SACRAMENT 

How  to  Spend  the  Sabbath  Day— Spend  the  Sabbath 
day  prudently,  in  the  love  and  fear  of  God.  19  65 

Persons  professing  to  be  Saints  should  assemble  them- 
selves together  on  the  Lord's  day,  except  those  who  may  be 
necessarily  detained  at  home  to  keep  the  house,  take  care 
of  the  children,  or  .to  perform  some  work  of  necessity  and 
mercy ;  the  rest  should  assemble  m  the  place  appointed  for 
worship  and  the  offering*  up  of  our  sacraments.  10.284. 

You  take  this  book  (the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants) and  you  will  read  here  that  the  Saints  are  to  meet 
together  on  the  Sabbath  day.  It  is  what  we  call  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  No  matter  whether  it  is  the  Jewish  Sab- 
bath or  not.  I  do  not  think  there  is  anybody  who  can  bring 
facts  to  prove  which  is  the  seventh  day,  or  when  Adam  was 
put  in  the  garden,  or  the  day  about  which  the  Lord  spoke 
to  Moses.  This  matter  is  not  very  well  known,  so  we  call 
the  day  on  which  we  rest  and  worship  God,  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  This  people  called  Latter-day  Saints,  are  re- 
quired by  the  revelations  that  the  Lord  has  given,  to  as- 
semble* themselves  together  on  this  day.  In  this  command- 
ment we  are  required  to  come  together  and  repent  of  our 
sins  and  confess  our  sins  and  partake  of  the  bread  and  of 
the  wine,  or  water,  in  commemoration  of  the  death  and 
sufferings  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  16:168. 

Instead  of  suffering  our  labors  to  occupy  the  Sabbath 
—instead  of  planning  our  business  to  infringe  upon  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  we  should  do  as  little  as  possible ;  if 


THE  SABBATH,    MEETINGS,   THE  SACRAMENT  255 

it  is  necessary  to  cook  food,  do  so ;  but  even  if  that  could 
be  dispensed  with,  it  would  be  better.  As  to  keeping  the 
Sabbath  according  to  the  Mosaic  lew,  indeed,  I  do  not;  for 
it  would  be  almost  beyond  my  power  Still,  under  the  new 
covenant,  we  should  remember  to  preserve  holy  one  day 
in  the  week  as  a  day  of  rest— as  a  memorial  of  the  rest  of 
the  Lord  and  the  rest  of  the  Saints ,  also  for  our  temporal 
advantage,  for  it  is  instituted  for  the  express  purpose  of 
benefiting  man  It  is  written  in  this  book  (the  Bible),  that 
the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man.  It  ib  a  blessing  to  him 
As  little  labor  as  possible  should  be  done  upon  that  day, 
it  should  be  set  apart  as  a  day  of  rest,  to  assemble  together 
in  the  place  appointed,  according  to  the  revelation,  confess- 
ing our  sins,  bringing  our  tithes  and  offerings,  and  present- 
ing ourselves  before  the  Lord,  there  to  commemorate  the 
death  and  sufferings  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  6  277-8 

Now,  remember,  my  brethren,  those  who  go  skating, 
buggy  riding  or  on  excursions  on  the  Sabbath  day— and 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  this  practiced — are  weak  in  the  faith 
Gradually,  little  by  little,  little  by  little,  the  spirit  of  their 
religion  leaks  out  of  their  hearts  and  their  affections,  and 
by  and  by  they  begin  to  see  faults  in  their  brethren,  faults 
in  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  faults  in  the  organization, 
and  at  last  they  leave  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  go  to  de- 
struction I  really  wish  you  would  remember  this,  and  tell 
it  to  your  neighbors.  15 .83. 

The  Lord  has  directed  his  people  to  rest  one-seventh 
part  of  the  time,  and  we  take  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and 
call  it  our  Sabbath.  This  is  according  to  the  order  of  the 
Christians.  We  should  observe  this  for  our  own  temporal 
good  and  spiritual  welfare.  When  we  see  a  farmer  m  such 
a  hurry,  that  he  has  to  attend  to  his  harvest,  and  to  haying, 


256  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

fence-making,  or  to  gathering-  his  cattle  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  count  him  weak  in  the 
faith.  He  has  lost  the  spirit  of  his  religion,  more  or  less. 
Six  days  are  enough  for  us  to  work,  and  if  we  wish  to  play, 
play  within  the  six  days,  if  we  wish  to  go  on  excursions, 
take  one  of  those  six  days,  but  on  the  seventh  day,  come  to 
the  place  of  worship,  attend  to  the  Sacrament,  confess  your 
faults  one  to  another  and  to  our  God,  and  pay  attention  to 
the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God.  15,81. 

I  said  yesterday  to  a  Bishop  who  was  mending  a  breach 
in  the  canal,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  continue  his  labor  on 
the  following  Sabbath,  as  his  wheat  was  burning  up,  let  it 
burn,  when  the  time  comes  that  is  set  apart  for  worship, 
go  up  and  worship  the  Lord  3:331 

The  Lord  has  planted  within  us  a  divinity,  and  that 
divine  immortal  spirit  requires  to  be  fed.  Will  earthly 
food  answer  for  that  purpose?  No;  it  will  only  keep  this 
body  alive  as  long  as  the  spirit  stays  with  it,  which  gives 
us  an  opportunity  of  doing  good.  That  divinity  within  us 
needs  food  from  the  Fountain  from  which  it  emanated  It 
is -not  of  the  earth,  earthy,  but  is  from  heaven.  Principles 
of  eternal  life,  of  God  and  godliness,  will  alone  feed  the 
immortal  capacity  of  man  and  give  true  satisfaction.  7:138 

We  are  under  the  necessity  of  assembling  here  from 
Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  and  in  Ward  meetings,  and  besides, 
have  to  call  our  solemn  assemblies,  to  teach,  talk,  pray, 
sing,  and  exhort.  What  for?  To  keep  us  in  remembrance 
of  our  God  and  our  holy  religion.  Is  this  custom  neces- 
sary? Yes;  because  we  are  so  liable  to  forget — so  prone 
to  wander,  that  we  need  to  have  the  Gospel  sounded  in 
our  ears  as  much  as  once,  twice,  or  thrice  a  week,  or,  be- 
hold, we  will  turn  again  to  our  idols.  6:195. 


THE  SABBATH,    MEETINGS,   THE  SACRAMENT  257 

If  you  can  make  as  good  a  beginning  as  did  an  old  lady, 
you  will  do  well  She  went  to  a  schoolhouse,  and,  on  her 
return,  called  at  a  neighbor's  who  inquired  where  she  had 
been  She  replied,  "I  have  been  to  meeting."  "Has  there 
been  a  meeting?"  "Oh,  yes,  and  a  glorious  one,  too" 
"Dear  me,  we  did  not  hear  of  it  Were  there  many  there  ?" 
"No,  there  were  not  many"  "Who  was  there?"  'kWhy, 
the  Lord  was  there,  and  I  was  there,  and  had  a  blessed  good 
meeting  "  If  you  cannot  get  any  person  to  meet  with  you, 
be  sure  and  have  the  Lord  meet  with  you,  and  you  will  soon 
gain  confidence  in  yourselves  and  have  influence  with  your 
brethren.  8  65. 

Worship  on  Every  Day — Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday  must  be  spent  to  the 
glory  of  God,  as  much  as  Sunday,  or  we  shall  come  short  of 
the  object  of  our  pursuit  13  261. 

The  Lord  knows  the  wants  of  his  mortal  children,  and 
has  appointed  unto  them  one-seventh  part  of  the  time  for 
rest,  though  we  cannot  say,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  that 
this  is  a  day  of  rest  *to  the  Latter-day  Saints  or  to  the  pro- 
fessing Christians,  some  of  whom  are  in  the  habit  of  rising 
at  sunrise  to  hold  prayer-meetings ;  they  then  eat  breakfast 
and  hurry  away  to  the  morning  service  until  noon ;  in  the 
afternoon  they  again  have  meetings,  and  class  meetings, 
prayer  meetings,  confessing  meetings,  etc ,  and  so  continue 
until  nine  in  the  evening.  To  such  persons  I  cannot  con- 
sider it  really  a  day  of  rest  10:187. 

Coming  to  this  Tabernacle  to  worship  and  do  the  will  of 
God  for  one  day  in  the  week,  and  following  our  own  in- 
clinations and  doing  our  own  will  at  all  other  times,  is  a 
folly;  it  is  useless,  and  a  perfect  burlesque  on  the  service  of 
God  We  should  do  the  will  of  God,  and  spend  all  our  time 


258  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

for- the  accomplishment  of  his  purposes,  whether  we  are 
in  this  Tabernacle  or  elsewhere    12  34 

If  I  had  my  own  mind,  I  would  devote  the  time  for 
meetings  like  this  within  the  measure  of  the  six  days,  and 
on  the  seventh  rest  from  all  my  labors,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  renewing  the  mental  and  physical  powers  of  man 
They  require  it,  as  the  Lord  well  knew;  hence  he  estab- 
lished a  day  of  rest  The  natural  tendency  of  the  physical 
powers  of  man  is  to  decay;  and  to  preserve  them  as  long  as 
possible,  they  need  this  retirement  from  labor — this  rest — 
this  ease.  8.58 

Preaching  and  Listening  in  Meetings — While  we  have 
the  privilege  of  speaking  to  each  other,  let  us  speak  wordh 
of  comfort  and  consolation.  When  you  are  influenced  by 
the  Spirit  of  holiness  and  purity,  let  your  light  shine,  but 
if  you  are  tried  and  tempted  and  buffeted  by  Satan,  keep 
your  thoughts  to  yourselves— keep  your  mouths  closed ,  for 
speaking  produces  fruit,  either  of  a  good  or  evil  character. 
7-268. 

As  we  have  met  m  the  capacity  of  a  General  Conference, 
we  shall  expect  to  hear  instructions  from  the  Elders  per- 
taining to  the  building  up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth 
This  is  our  calling,  this  is  the  labor  devolving  upon  us,  and 
it  should  occupy  our  attention  day  by  day  from  morning 
until  evening  and  from  week  to  week ;  m  fact,  we  have  no 
other  calling  or  business  13  260. 

Today  we  are  able  to  meet  together  to  speak  to  each 
other,  to  strengthen  and  do  each  other  good;  and  by  for- 
saking our  fields  for  a  season,  to  gather  together  to  worship 
our  God,  I  can  assure  you  that  our  crops  will  be  better  than 
they  would  be  if  we  were  to  spend  all  our  time  in  ovtr  fields 
We  may  water  and  plant  and  toil,  but  we  should  never  fnj-- 


THE  SABBATH,   MEETINGS]  THE  SACRAMENT  259 

get  that  it  is  God  who  gives  the  increase;  and  by  meeting 
together,  our  health  and  spirits  will  be  better,  we  will  look 
better,  and  the  things  of  this  world  will  increase  around 
us  more,  and  we  will  know  better  how  to  enjoy  them. 
11:116. 

I  will  take  the  liberty  of  suggesting  to  my  brethren  who 
address  the  congregation  that  our  sermons  should  be  short, 
and  if  they  are  not  filled  with  life  and  spirit  let  them  be 
shorter,  for  we  have  not  time  at  this  Conference  to  let  all 
the  Elders  who  speak  preach  a  long  sermon,  but  we  have 
time  to  say  a  few  words  in  bearing  testimony,  to  give  a 
few  words  of  counsel  to  encourage  the  Saints,  to  strengthen 
the  weak,  to  endeavor  to  confirm  those  who  are  wavering, 
and  so  forward  the  Kingdom  of  God.  12:27, 

Brethren  and  sisters,  I  will  make  one  request  of  you. 
When  you  speak,  speak  so  that  we  can  hear  and  understand 
you,  whether  it  be  much  or  little,  good  or  bad.  If  you  have 
nothing  to  say,  take  my  counsel,  and  keep  your  seat.  If 
you  have  anything  to  say,  say  it ;  and  when  you  get  through, 
stop.  Let  your  feelings  be  governed  and  controlled  by  the 
principles  of  eternal  life,  as  should  the  children  of  God,  de- 
lighting in  truth  and  righteousness.  7  270. 

Many  have  a  foreboding  in  their  hearts;  a  fearfulness, 
a  tremor  comes  over  them,  when  they  arise  to  address  a 
congregation.  They  think  that  it  will  not  do  to  tell  the 
people  just  what  they  understand,  but  talk  about  it  and 
talk  about  it.  In  this  way  they  darken  counsel.  Do  not 
darken  counsel  by  your  words,  4:368. 

When  people  assemble  to  worship  they  should  leave 
their  worldly  cares  where  they  belong,  then  their  minds 
are  in  a  proper  condition  to  worship  the  Lord,  to  call  upon 
him  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  to  get  his  Holy  Spirit,  that 


260  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

they  may  hear  and  understand  things  as  they  are  in  eter- 
nity, and  know  how  to  comprehend  the  providences  of  our 
God.  This  is  the  time  for  their  minds  to  be  open,  to  be- 
hold the  invisible  things  of  God,  that  he  reveals  by  his 
Spirit.  3  53. 

Every  person  should  be  silent  when  we  meet  here  to 
worship  God.  Remember  and  try  to  keep  perfectly  quiet, 
and  do  not  whisper,  talk,  nor  scrape  your  feet ;  and  do  not 
let  your  children  cry  if  you  can  help  it.  14  -44 

My  greatest  desire  to  my  Father  and  God  is  that  I  may 
so  speak  that  my  remarks  will  be  acceptable  to  him  and 
beneficial  to  those  who  hear  me.  7:131. 

I  am  responsible  for  the  doctrine  I  teach ;  but  I  am  not 
responsible  for  the  obedience  of  the  people  to  that  doctrine 
13  1. 

The  same  weakness  is  in  me,  that  is  common  to  the  most 
of  my  brethren  who  address  you  from  this  stand,  that  is,  a 
degree  of  timidity,  which  arises  from  a  sense  of  the  im- 
portance of  the  work  in  which  we  are  engaged;  but  my 
resolution  overbalances  this,  1,334. 

I  am  extremely  anxious  so  to  convey  my  ideas  to  the 
people  that  they  will  understand  them  as  I  do.  Our  lan- 
guage is  deficient,  and  I  do  not  possess  in  this  particular 
the  natural  endowment  that  some  men  enjoy,  I  am  a  man 
of  few  words,  and  unlearned  in  the  learning  of  this  genera- 
tion. 9:287, 

I  have  never  yet  seen  the  time  that  I  had  wisdom, 
strength,  and  ability  enough  to  preach  a  Gospel  discourse 
—to  commence  it,  and  finish  it,  setting  before  the  people 
the  plan  of  salvation  sufficiently  full,  that  thereby  they 
might  be  saved.  But  it  is  only  given  in  portions—a  little 
here,  and  a  little  there,  by  feeble  man  6-283 


THE  SABBATH  J  MEETINGS  ,  THE  SACRAMENT  261 

When  I  have  endeavored  to  address  a  congregation,  I 
have  almost  always  felt  a  repugnance  in  my  heart  to  the 
practice  of  premeditation,  or  of  pre-constructing  a  dis- 
course to  deliver  to  the  people,  but  let  me  ask  God  my 
Heavenly  Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  give  me 
his  Spirit,  and  put  into  my  heart  the  things  he  wishes  me 
to  speak  whether  they  be  for  better  or  worse.  These  have 
been  my  private  feelings,  as  a  general  thing  1  -264 

I  need  the  attention  of  the  congregation  and  the  faith 
of  those  who  have  faith ;  I  need  the  wisdom  of  God  and  his 
Spirit  to  be  in  my  heart  to  enable  me  to  speak  to  the  edifi- 
cation of  the  people.  Although  I  have  been  a  public  speaker 
for  thirty-seven  years,  it  is  seldom  that  I  rise  before  a  con- 
gregation without  feeling  a  child-like  timidity;  if  I  live  to 
the  age  of  Methuselah  I  do  not  know  that  I  shall  outgrow 
it  There  are  reasons  for  this  which  I  understand.  When 
I  look  upon  the  faces  of  intelligent  beings  I  look  upon  the 
image  of  the  God  I  serve  There  are  none  but  what  have 
a  certain  portion  of  divinity  within  them,  and  though  we 
are  clothed  with  bodies  which  are  in  the  image  of  our  God, 
yet  this  mortality  shrinks  before  that  portion  of  divinity 
which  we  inherit  from  our  Father  This  is  the  cause  of  my 
timidity,  and  of  all  others  who  feel  this  embarrassment 
when  they  address  their  fellow  beings.  13:139. 

In  addressing  a  congregation,  though  the  speaker  be 
unable  to  say  more  than  half  a  dozen  sentences,  and  those 
awkwardly  constructed,  if  his  heart  is  pure  before  God, 
those  few  broken  sentences  are  of  more  value  than  the 
greatest  eloquence  without  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  and  of 
more  real  worth  in  the  sight  of  God,  angels,  and  all  good 
men.  In  praying,  though  a  person's  words  be  few  and 
awkwardly  expressed,  if  the  heart  is  pure  before  God,  that 


262  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

prayer  will  avail  more  than  the  eloquence  of  a  Cicero 
What  does  the  Lord,  the  Father  of  us  all,  care  about  our 
mode  of  expression  ?  The  simple,  honest  heart  is  of  more 
avail  with  the  Lord  than  all  the  pomp,  pride,  splendor,  and 
eloquence  pi  educed  b\  men  When  he  looks  upon  a  heait 
full  of  sincerity,  integrity,  and  child-like  simplicity,  he  sees 
a  principle  that  will  endure  forever— "That  is  the  spirit  of 
my  own  kingdom— the  spirit  I  have  given  to  my  children  " 
8  283-4. 

I  believe,  according  to  my  feelings,  that  if  I  had  all  the 
mastery  of  language  that  has  ever  been  obtained  by  the 
learned,  my  spirit  would  delight  more  in  childlike  con- 
versation, and  that  too,  in  a  simple  language,  than  in  the 
most  learned  literary  style  that  is  used  A  plain,  clear 
method  of  expressing  ideas  is  the  most  pleasing  to  me 
4341. 

I  believe  it  is  our  duty  to  imitate  everything  that  is  good, 
lovely,  dignified  and  praiseworthy  We  ought  to  imitate 
the  best  speakers,  and  study  to  convey  our  ideas  to  each 
other  in  the  best  and  choicest  language,  especially  when 
we  are  dispensing  +he  great  truths  of  the  Gospel  of  peace 
to  the  people.  I  generally  use  the  best  language  I  can 
command  11*255. 

Testimony  Meetings — You  know  that  the  first  Thursday 
in  each  month  we  hold  as  a  fast  day  How  many  here  know 
the  origin  of  this  day?  Before  tithing  was  paid,  the  poor 
were  supported  by  donations.  They  came  to  Joseph  and 
wanted  help,  in  Kirtland,  and  he  said  there  should  be  a  fast 
day,  which  was  decided  upon  It  was  to  be  held  once  a 
month,  as  it  is  now,*  and  all  that  would  have  been  eaten 


*At  present  the  first  Sunday  of  the  mouth  is  designated  fast 
day 


THE  SABBATH  ,  MEETINGS  ,  THE  SACRAMENT  263 

that  day,  of  flour,  or  meat,  or  butter,  or  fruit,  or  anything 
else,  was  to  be  carried  to  the  fast  meeting  and  put  into  the 
hands  of  a  person  selected  for  the  purpose  of  taking  care  of 
it  and  distributing  it  among  the  poor.  12.115. 

Do  not  hesitate  to  tell  your  feelings.    4  -368 

In  our  fast-day  meetings,  the  Saints  meet  to  express 
their  feelings  and  to  strengthen  each  other  in  their  faith  in 
the  holy  Gospel  7.267. 

We  wish  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  meet  at  their  respec- 
tive houses,  erected  for  that  purpose,  on  the  day  appointed 
for  a  fast,  and  take  with  them  of  their  substance  to  feed  the 
poor  and  the  hungry  among  us,  and,  if  it  is  necessary,  to 
clothe  the  naked.  We  expect  to  see  the  sisters  there,  for 
they  are  generally  first  and  foremost  in  deeds  of  charity 
and  kindness.  Let  the  hearts  of  the  poor  be  made  glad, 
and  let  their  prayers  and  thanksgiving  ascend  unto  God,  and 
receive  an  answer  of  rich  blessings  upon  our  heads  12  -126 

Do  you  not  receive  as  much  of  the  spirit  of  intelligence, 
of  the  spirit  of  knowledge,  and  the  consoling  influences  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  to  have  people  rise  and  testify  of  the  things 
of  God  which  they  do  know,  of  those  things  which  they 
have  experienced  themselves7  Does  not  that  vividly  bring 
to  your  minds  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  revealing  to  you 
the  truths  of  the  Gospel?  Does  not  that  strengthen  your 
faith,  give  you  an  increase  of  confidence  and  witness  to 
you  that  you  are  a  child  of  God?  Most  assuredly  it  does 
Therefore,  when  any  testify  of  the  things  of  God,  it 
strengthens  their  brethren,  precisely  as  it  did  in  days  of  old 
when  they  observed  the  counsel  to,  "Speak  often  one  to 
another,"  "strengthen  the  brethren,"  and  so  on.  4:367. 

If  any  of  you  feel  that  there  is  no  life  in  your  meetings, 
as  I  occasionally  hear  some  of  the  brethren  say,  then  it  be- 


264  DISCOURSES  OP    BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

comes  your  duty  to  go  and  instill  life  into  that  meeting,  and 
do  your  part  to  produce  an  increase  of  the  Spirit  and  power 
of  God  in  the  meetings  m  your  locality.  10  309. 

I  always  feel  to  urge  our  youth  to  attend  meetings  when 
strangers  preach,  that  they  may  be  able  to  understand  that 
which  is  not  of  God,  and  learn  the  difference  between  the 
doctrine  taught  by  us  and  others  13  323. 

Now,  then,  if  our  brethren  of  the  Presbyterians,  Metho- 
dists or  any  others  visit  here  and  want  to  preach  to  you, 
certainly  let  them  preach,  and  have  your  children  hear  them 
They  will  tell  you  to  keep  the  Sabbath  and  to  love  your 
father  and  mother,  they  will  tell  you  to  be  true,  honest, 
industrious,  to  be  faithful  to  your  studies,  to  read  the  Bible 
and  all  good  books,  to  study  the  sciences,  etc.,  which  is  all 
good,  and  as  far  as  such  teaching  goes  just  as  good  as  it 
can  be.  I  say,  parents,  do  not  be  afraid  of  having  your 
children  learn  everything  that  is  worth  learning  And  if 
any  of  our  Christian  brethren  want  to  go  into  our  Sabbath 
schools  to  teach  our  children,  let  them  do  so.  They  will 
not  teach  them  anything  immoral  in  the  presence  of  those 
who  are  in  charge  of  the  schools.  14:196. 

Whether  we  are  poor  or  rich,  if  we  neglect  our  prayers 
and  our  sacrament  meetings,  we  neglect  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  and  a  spirit  of  darkness  comes  over  us  10  300 

When  a  man  opens  or  closes  a  meeting  with  prayer, 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  the  congregation  who  pro- 
fesses to  be  a  Saint  should  have  no  desire  or  words  m  their 
hearts  and  mouths  but  what  are  being  offered  by  the  man 
who  is  mouth  for  all  the  congregation.  6 :42. 

The  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper— The  revelations 
of  God  to  Joseph  Smith  instruct  the  Latter-day  Saints  to 
live  their  religion  day  by  day,  and  to  meet  on  the  first  da> 


1  HE  SABBATH  ,  MEETINGS  ,  THE  SACRAMENT  265 

of  the  week  to  break  bread,  confess  their  faults  one  to  an- 
other and  pray  with  and  for  each  other  I  would  like  this 
tradition  fastened  not  only  upon  the  people  generally,  but 
particularly  upon  the  Bishops  and  other  leaders  of  this 
Church.  9-369 

I  say  to  the  brethren  and  sisters,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  it  is  our  duty  and  it  is  required  of  us,  by  our  Father 
in  Heaven,  by  the  spirit  of  our  religion,  by  our  covenants 
with  God  and  each  other,  that  we  observe  the  ordinances 
of  the  house  of  God,  and  especially  on  the  Sabbath  day,  to 
attend  to  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Then  at- 
tend the  Ward  meetings  and  the  Quorum  meetings  15 .82 

In  the  ordinance  we  here  attend  to  in  the  afternoon, 
we  show  to  the  Father  that  we  remember  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Elder  Brother ,  we  testify  to  him  that  we  are  willing  to  take 
upon  us  his  name.  When  we  are  doing  this,  I  want  the 
minds  here  as  well  as  the  bodies.  I  want  the  whole  man 
here  when  you  come  to  meeting.  8:137. 

This  is  a  very  solemn  ordinance.  The  Christian  world 
accepts  it,  in  preference  to  any  other,  as  one  of  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  house  of  God.  With  some,  this  ordinance  is 
the  first  and  the  last ;  and  with  others  this  ordinance  is  not 
thought  to  be  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  attended  to 
I  wish  to  say  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  and  also  to  those 
who  do  not  believe  m  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel,  that  this 
ordinance,  which  we  are  now  attending  to  this  afternoon, 
is,  in  reality,  no  more  sacred  than  any  other  ordinance  of 
the  house  of  God  in  the  eyes  of  mm  who  has  instituted  the 
same.  The  validity  of  one  divine  law  is  the  same  as  the 
validity  of  another  with  our  Father  and  God.  11 .3940 

I  would  exhort  my  brethren  and  sisters  to  receive  this 
ordinance  every  Sabbath,  when  they  meet  together,  as  is 


266  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIQHAM  YOUNG 

our  practice ,  not  following  the  customs  of  others,  for  with 
some  denominations  this  is  administered  once  a  month, 
with  others  once  in  three  months,  with  others  never,  they 
not  believing  in  outward  ordinances.  We  are  in  the  habit 
of  partaking  of  the  contents  of  the  cup  each  Sabbath  when 
we  meet  together,  and  I  do  pray  you,  my  brethren  and 
sisters,  to  comtemplate  this  ordinance  thoroughly,  and  seek 
unto  the  Lord  with  all  your  hearts  that  you  may  obtain  the 
promised  blessings  by  obedience  to  it  Teach  its  observ- 
ance to  your  children ;  impress  upon  them  its  necessity.  Its 
observance  is  as  necessary  to  our  salvation  as  any  other  of 
the  ordinances  and  Commandments  that  have  been  insti- 
tuted in  order  that  the  people  may  be  sanctified,  that  Jesus 
may  bless  them  and  give  unto  them  his  spirit,  and  guide 
and  direct  them  that  they  may  secure  unto  themselves  life 
eternaL  Impress  the  sacredness  of  this  important  ordi- 
nance upon  the  minds  of  your  children.  19.91, 

We  do  this  in  remembrance  of  the  death  of  our  Savior , 
it  is  required  of  his  disciples  until  he  comes  again,  no  mattei 
how  long  that  may  be.  No  matter  how  many  generations 
come  and  go,  believers  in  him  are  required  to  eat  bread 
and  drink  wine  in  remembrance  of  his  death  and  sufferings 
until  he  comes  again.  Why  are  they  required  to  do  this? 
To  witness  unto  the  Father,  to  Jesus  and  to  the  angels  that 
they  are  believers  in  and  desire  to  follow  him  in  the  re- 
generation, keep  his  commandments,  build  up  his  Kingdom, 
revere  his  name  and  serve  him  with  an  undivided  heart, 
that  they  may  be  worthy  to  eat  and  drink  with  him  in  his 
Father's  Kingdom.  This  is  why  the  Latter-day  Saints  par- 
take of  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

I  know  that  in  the  Christian  world  sermon  after  sermon 
is  preached  on  this  subject ;  yet  people  there  differ  in  their 


THE  SABBATH  ,  MEETINGS  J  THE  SACRAMENT  267 

belief  concerning  these  emblems  The  Mother  Church,  of 
the  Christian  world,  believes  that  the  bread  becomes  the 
actual  flesh  of  Jesus,  and  that  the  wine  becomes  his  blood , 
this  is  preposterous  to  me.  It  its  bread,  and  it  is  wine ,  but 
both  are  blessed  to  the  souls  of  those  who  partake  thereof. 
But  to  be  followers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  more  is  required  than 
merely  to  partake  of  the  bread  and  wine — the  emblems  of 
his  death  and  suffering — it  is  necessary  that  strict  obedience 
be  rendered  to  his  requirements.  13  139-140 

In  what  consists  the  benefit  we  derive  from  this  ordi- 
nance? It  is  in  obeying  the  commands  of  the  Lord.  When 
we  obey  the  commandments  of  our  Heavenly  Father,  if  we 
have  a  correct  understanding  of  the  ordinances  of  the  house 
of  God,  we  receive  all  the  promises  attached  to  the  obedi- 
ence rendered  to  his  commandments  2  -3 

It  is  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  we  could  enjoy,  to 
come  before  the  Lord,  and  before  the  angels,  and  before 
each  other,  to  witness  that  we  remember  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  died  for  us  This  proves  to  the  Father 
that  we  remember  our  covenants,  that  we  love  his  Gospel, 
that  we  love  to  keep  his  commandments,*  and  to  honor  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  upon  the  earth.  6277. 

In  the  days  of  ancient  Israel,  while  in  the  land  of  Pales- 
tine, they  were  not  blessed  so  profusely  as  we  are  with  the 
crystal  streams  from  the  mountains  They  were  in  the 
habit  of  drinking  a  great  deal  of  wine,  and  among  the  few 
who  have  continued  to  inhabit  that  land,  this  habit,  I  be- 
lieve, has  been  kept  up  to  the  present  time.  It  is  a  wine 
country.  But  the  Lord  has  said  to  us  it  mattered  not  what 
we  partake  of  when  we  administer  the  cup  to  the  people, 
inasmuch  as  we  do  it  with  an  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God ; 
it  is  then  acceptable  to  him  Consequently  we  use  water  as 


268  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

though  tt  were  wine ;  for  we  are  commanded  to  drink  not  of 
wine  for  this  sacred  purpose  except  it  be  made  by  our  own 
hands.  19:92. 

In  some  of  our  Wards  and  settlements  the  administering 
of  the  Sacrament  has  been  introduced  in  the  Sunday  schools. 
It  is  very  pleasing  and  gratifying  to  the  spirit  that  I  pos- 
sess, for  the  parents  to  see  that  their  children  attend  Sun- 
day school  and  receive  the  proper  instruction  with  regard 
to  their  faith.  After  the  Sunday  school  is  over,  let  the 
parents  take  the  pains  to  bring  their  children  to  meeting. 
19:92. 

I  will  now  express  a  wish  in  relation  to  all  who  may 
rise  here  to  ask  a  blessing  on  the  bread  and  water  of  the 
Sacrament,  or«to  preach  to  such  large  congregations  as  as- 
semble here.  When  the  Elders  rise  here  to  speak,  I  want 
them  to  raise  their  voices  so  that  the  people  can  hear  them, 
that  the  audience  may  be  able  to  say  "Amen"  to  all  the 
good;  and  if  there  is' evil,  refuse  it.  When  any  one  rises  to 
preach,  pray,  sing,  exhort,  or  bless  the  Sacramental  em- 
blems, let  him  do  so  with  voice  sufficient  for  all  to  hear 
8:183. 


CHAPTER  XV 
TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER 

The  Law  of  Tithing— One  thing  is  required  at  the  hands 
of  this  people,  and  to  understand  which  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  receiving  a  commandment  every  year,  viz. :  to  pay 
their  tithing.  I  do  not  suppose  for  a  moment,  that  there 
is  a  person  in  this  Church,  who  is  unacquainted  with  the 
duty  of  paying  tithing,  neither  is  it  necessary  to  have  reve- 
lation every  year  upon  the  subject.  There  is  the  Law — pay 
one-tenth.  1 :278. 

I  like  the  term,  because  it  is  scriptural,  and  I  would 
rather  use  it  than  any  other.  The  Lord  instituted  tithing; 
it  was  practiced  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  and  Enoch  and 
Adam  and  his  children  did  not  forget  their  tithes  and  offer- 
ings. You  can  read  for  yourselves  with  regard  to  what  the 
Lord  requires.  I  want  to  say  this  much  to  those  who  pro- 
fess to  be  Latter-day  Saints — if  we  neglect  our  tithes  and 
offerings  we  will  receive  the  chastening  hand  of  the  Lord. 
We  may  just  as  .well  count  on  this  first  as  last.  If  we  neg- 
lect to  pay  our  tithes  and  offerings  we  will  neglect  other 
things  and  this  will  grow  upon  us  until  the  spirit  'of  the 
Gospel  is  entirely  gone  from  us,  and  we  are  in  the  dark,  and 
know  not  whither  we  are  going.  15 :163. 

If  the  Lord  requires  one-tenth  of  my  ability  to  be  de- 
voted to  building  temples,  meeting  houses,  school  houses, 
to -schooling  our  children,  gathering  the  poor  from  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  bringing  home  the  aged,  lame,  halt  and 
blind,  and  building  houses  for  them  to  live  in,  that  they 
may  be  comfortable  when  they  reach  Zion,  and  to  sustain- 
ing "the  Priesthood,  it  is  not  my  prerogative  to  question  the 


270  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

authority  of  the  Almighty  in  this,  nor  of  his  servants  who 
have  charge  of  it  If  I  am  required  to  pay  my  tithing  it  is 
my  duty  to  pay  it  In  the  days  oi  Joseph,  when  my 
circumstances  were  very,  very  straitened,  I  never  had  $500, 
$100,  one  dollar,  fifty  cents  or  twenty-five  cents,  but  what, 
if  it  were  wanted,  it  went  as  free  as  a  cup  of  water  from  a 
well — Joseph  was  welcome  to  it.  Was  I  tried  in  this?  Yes, 
for  many  and  many  has  been  the  time  in  my  poverty,"  when 
if  I  had  a  dollar  or  fifty  cents  m  my  possession  I  have 
thought,  "I  can  buy  a  pint  or  a  half  pint  of  molasses  for  my 
children  to  sop  their  bread  in/'  but  it  was  called  for,  and  it 
went  as  free  as  the  water  of  the  river  here  would  be  to  a 
thirsty  person.  And  as  for  my  time,  from  the  day  that  I 
entered  this  Church  until  now,  I  have  paid  no  attention  to 
any  business  except  that  of  building  up  this  Kingdom  The 
question  may  be  asked,  "Do  you  not  attend  to  your  pri- 
vate affairs  and  business?"  Yes,  when  I  can,  but  I  do  not 
know  that  I  have  ever  spent  one  minute  in  attending  to 
business  belonging  to  Bngham  Young,  when  the  business 
of  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth  required 
his  attention.  Yet  I  would  not  say  that  this  is  any  ex- 
cuse for  not  strictly  paying  my  tithing  I  have  paid  a  great 
deal  of  tithing,  more  perhaps  than  any  other  man,  or  any 
other  ten  men  who  were  ever  in  the  Church,  and  yet  my 
tithing  is  not  paid  But  I  pay  tithing,  and  when  the 
grain  upon  my  farm  is  ripened,  or  the  cattle  upon  it  are 
matured,  I  say  to  my  men,  "Be  sure  and  pay' the  tithing 
on  whatever  we  have  raised  "  But  in,  some  instances  I 
have  found  that  it  was  neglected.  16  111. 

It  is  very  true  that  the  poor  pay  their  tithing  better  than 
the  rich  do.  If  the  rich  would  pay  their  tithing  we  should 
have  plenty.  The  poor  are  faithful  and  prompt  in  paying 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER  271 

their  tithing,  but  the  rich  can  hardly  afford  to  pay  theirs 
—they  have  too  much.  If  he  has  only  ten  dollars  he  can 
pay  one;  if  he  has  only  one  dollar  he  can  pay  ten  cents, 
it  does  not  hurt  him  at  all.  If  he  has  a  hundred  dollars  he 
can  possibly  pay  ten  If  he  has  a  thousand  dollars  he 
looks  over  it  a  little  and  says,  "I  guess  I  will  pay  it;  it 
ought  to  be  paid  anyhow ;"  and  he  manages  to  pay  his  ten 
dollars  or  his  hundred  dollars  But  suppose  a  man  is 
wealthy  enough  to  pay  ten  thousand,  he  looks  that  over  a 
good  many  times  and  says,  "I  guess  I  will  wait  until' I  get 
a  little  more,  and  then  I  will  pay  a  good  deal."  And  they 
wait  and  \\  ait,  like  an  old  gentleman  in  the  East ;  he  waited 
and  waited  and  waited  to  pay  his  tithing  until  he  went  out 
of  the  world,  and  this  is  the  way  with  a  great  many.  They 
wait  and  continue  waiting,  until,  finally,  the  character 
comes  along  who  is  called  Death,  and  he  slips  up  to  them 
and  takes  away  their  breath,  then  they  are  gone  and  can- 
not pay  their  tithing,  they  are  too  late,  and  so  it  goes 
15  163-164. 

The  Saints  abroad  are  required  to  pay  their  tithing 
8-182. 

When  men  are  Saints,  they  will  bring  their  thousands 
and  lay  them  at  the  feet  of  the  Bishops,  Apostles,  and 
Prophets,  saying,  "Here  is  my  money,  it  is  now  where  it 
should  be."  6.175. 

When  a  man  wishes  to  give  anything,  let  him  give  the 
best  he  has  got.  The  Lord  has  given  to  me  all  I  possess,  I 
have  nothing  in  reality,  not  a  single  dime  of  it  is  mine. 
You  may  ask,  "Do  you  feel  as  you  say?"  Yes,  I  actually 
do  The  coat  I  have  on  my  back  is  not  mine,  and  never 
was;  the  Lord  put  it  in  my  possession  honorably,  and  I 
wear  it ,  but  if  he  wishes  for  it,  and  all  there  is  under  it,  he 


272 


DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 


is  welcome  to  the  whole.  I  do  not  own  a  house,  or  a  single 
farm  of  land,  a  horse,  mule,  carriage,  or  wagon,  or  wife, 
nor  child,  but  what  the  Lord  gave  me,  and  if  he  wants 
them,  he  can  take  them  at  his  pleasure,  whether  he 
speaks  for  them,  or  takes  them  without  speaking.  2:307 

When  my  Bishop  came  to  value  my  property,  he  wanted 
to  know  what  he  should  take  my  tithing  in.  I  told  him  to 
take  anything  I  had,  for  I  did  not  set  my  heart  upon 
any  ope  thing;  my  horses,  cows,  hogs,  or  any  other  thing 
he  might  take;  my  heart  is  set  upon  the  work  of  my  God, 
upon  the  public  good  of  his  great  Kingdom.  1 .376. 

If  we  live  our  religion  we  will  be  willing  to  pay  tithing. 
10:283. 

Here  is  a  character — a  man — that  God  has  created,  or- 
ganized, fashioned  and  made, — every  part  and  particle  of 
my  system  from  the  top  of  my  head  to  the  soles  of  my  feet, 
has  been  produced  by  my  Father  in  Heaven;  and  he  re- 
quires one-tenth  part  of  my  brain,  heart,  nerve,  muscle, 
sinew,  flesh,  bone,  and  of  my  whole  system,  for  the  build- 
ing of  temples,  for  the  ministry,  for  sustaining  missionaries 
and  missionaries'  families,  for  feeding  the  poor,  the  aged, 
the  halt  and  blind,  and  for  gathering  them  home  from  the 
nations  and  taking  care  of  them  after  they  are  gathered.  He 
has  said,  "My  son,  devote  one-tenth  of  yourself  to  the  good 
and  wholesome  work  of  taking  care  of  your  fellow-beings, 
preaching  the  Gospel,  bringing  people  into  the  Kingdom ; 
lay  your  plans  to  take  care  of  those  who  cannot  take  care 
of  themselves;  direct  the  labors  of  those  who  are  able 
to  labor ;  aud  one-tenth  part  is  all-sufficient  if  it  is  devoted 
properly,  carefully  and  judiciously  for  the  advancement  of 
my  Kingdom  on  the  earth."  16-:69. 

The  Lord  Has  -Given  All — It  is  not  for  me  to  rise  up 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER  273 

and  say  that  I  can  give  to  the  Lord,  for  in  reality  I  have 
nothing1  to  give  I  seem  to  have  something  Why?  Because 
the  Lord  has  seen  fit  to  bring  me  forth,  and  has  blessed  my 
efforts  in  gathering  things  which  are  desirable,  and  which 
are  termed  property.  2 .300 

We  are  not  our  own,  we  are  bought  with  a  price,  we  are 
the  Lord's ;  our  time,  our  talents,  our  gold  and  silver,  our 
wheat  and  fine  flour,  our  wine  and  our  oil,  our  cattle,  and 
all  there  is  on  this  earth  that  we, have  in  our  possession  is 
the  Lord's,  and  he  requires  one-tenth  of  this  for  the  build- 
ing up  of  his  Kingdom,  Whether  we  have  much  or  little, 
one-tenth  should  be  paid  in  for  tithing  14  *88, 

What  object  have  I  in  saying  to  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
do  this,  that  or  the  other?  It  is  for  my  own  benefit,  it  is 
for  your  benefit,  it  is  for  my  own  wealth  and  happiness,  and 
for  your  wealth  and  happiness  that  we  pay  tithirig  and 
render  obedience  to  any  requirement  of  Heaven.  We  can 
not  add  anything  to  the  Lord  by  doing  these  things.  Tell 
about  making  sacrifices  for  the  Kingdom  of  heaven.  There 
is  no  man  who  ever  made  a  sacrifice  on  this  earth  for  the 
Kingdom  of  heaven,  that  I  know  anything  about,  except  the 
Savior.  He  drank  the  bitter  cup  to  the  dregs,  and  tasted 
for  every  man  and  for  every  woman,  and  redeemed  the 
earth  and  all  things  upon  it.  But  he  was  God  in  the  flesh, 
or  he  could  not  have  endured  it.  "But  we  suffer,  we  sacri- 
fice, we  give  something,  we  have  preached  so  long."  What 
for?  "Why,  for  the  Lord."  I  would  not  give  the  ashes  of 
a  rye  straw  for  the  man  who  feels  that  he  is  making  sacri- 
fice for  God.  We  are  doing  this  for  our  own  happiness,  wel- 
fare and  exaltation,  and  for  nobody  else's.  This  is  the  fact, 
and  what  we  do,  we  do  for  the  salvation  of  the  inhabitants 


274  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  the  earth,  not  for  the  salvation  of  the  heavens,  the  angels, 
or  the  Gods.  16:114. 

I  do  not  expect  to  see  the  day  when  I  am  perfectly  in- 
dependent, until  I  am  crowned  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of 
my  Father,  and  made  as  independent  as  my  Father  in 
Heaven.  I  have  not  yet  received  my  inheritance  as  my  own, 
and  I  expect  to  be  dependent  until  I  do,  for  all  that  I  have 
is  lent  to  me.  3:245. 

We  own  nothing  but  the  talents  God  has  given  to  us 
to  improve  upon,  to  show  him  what  we  will  do  with  them. 
8293. 

People  Not  Compelled  to  Pay  Tithing— The  people  are 
not  compelled  to  pay  their  tithing,  they  do  as  they  please 
about  it,  it  is  urged  upon  them  only  as  a  matter  of  duty  be- 
tween them  and  their  God.  12 .36 

We  do  not  ask  anybody  to  pay  tithing,  unless  they  are 
disposed  to  do  so ,  but  if  you  pretend  to  pay  tithing,  pay 
it  like  honest  men.  8 :202 

Some  complain  and  say  that  they  are  taxed  by  tithing. 
We  ask  no  tithing  of  any  man  In  this  we  are  as  independ- 
ent as  the  Lord  is  I  say,  do  not  pay  another  dollar  in 
tithing  unless  you  want  to.  8 :345. 

Pay  your  tithing,  just  because  you  like  to,  not  unless 
you  want  to.  They  say  we  cut  people  off  the  Church  for 
not  paying  tithing ;  we  never  have  yet,  but  they  ought  to  be. 
God  does  not  fellowship  them.  The  law  of  tithing  is  an 
eternal  law.  The  Lord  Almighty  never  had  his  Kingdom 
on  the  earth  without  the  law  of  tithing  being  in  the  midst 
of  his  people,  and  he  never  will.  It  is  an  eternal  law  that 
God  has  instituted  for  the  benefit  of  the  human  family,  for 
their  salvation  and  exaltation.  This  law  is  in  the  Priest- 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER  275 

hood,  but  we  do  not  want  any  to  observe  it  unless  they  are 
willing  to  do  so.    14:89. 

Use  of  the  Tithing — It  may  be  supposed  by  some  that 
the  tithing  is  used  to  sustain  and  feed  the  First  Presidency 
and  the  Twelve ;  this  is  a  false  impression  I  can  say,  with- 
out boasting,  that  there  is  not  another  man  in  this  Kingdom 
has  done  more  in  dollars  and  cents  to  build  it  up  than  I 
have,  and  yet  I  have  not  done  a  farthing's  worth  of  myself, 
for  the  means  I  have  handled  God  has  given  me ,  it  is  not 
mine,  and  if  it  ever  is  mine  it  will  be  when  I  have  overcome 
and  gained  my  exaltation  and  received  it  from  him  who 
rightfully  owns  all  things.  10  270. 

The  little  moiety  that  is  now  paid  on  tithing  is  used  to 
bring  the  poor  here,  to  find  them  houses  to  live  in,  bread 
to  eat,  and  wood  to  burn.  Now,  suppose  we  had  a  little 
more  of  this  surplus  on  hand,  could  we  not  help  the  breth- 
ren on  their  way  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  nations?  Yes, 
we  could  Some  of  them  will  leave  families  that  will,  prob- 
ably, be  destitute,  and  if  we  had  means  on  hand  we  could 
donate  to  help  them,  and  to  prevent  them  from  running 
continually  to  the  Bishops.  12.36 

The  Lord  requires  one-tenth  of  that  which  he  has  given 
me ;  it  is  for  me  to  pay  the  one-tenth  of  the  increase  of  my 
flocks  and  of  all  that  I  have,  and  all  the  people  should  do 
the  same.  The  question  may  arise,  "What  is  to  be  done 
with  the  tithing1?"  It  is  for  the  building  of  temples  to 
God,  for  the  enlarging  of  the  borders  of  Zion;  sending 
Elders  on  missions  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  taking  care  of 
their  families.  By  and  by  we  shall  have  some  temples  to 
go  into,  and  we  will  receive  our  blessings,  the  blessings  of 
heaven,  by  obedience  to  the  doctrine  of  tithing  We  shall 
have  temples  built  throughout  these  mountains,  in  the 


276  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

valleys  of  this  Territory  and  the  valleys  of  the  next  Terri- 
tory, and  finally,  all  through  these  mountain  valleys.  We 
expect  to  build  temples  in  a  great  many  valleys  We  go 
to  the  Endowment  House,  and  before  going,  we  get  a  recom- 
mendation from  our  Bishop  that  we  have  paid  our  tithing 
16  168 

In  regard  to  this  whining  of  the  world  about  Brigham's 
handling  the  tithing,  I  can  say  that  he  has  put  in  ten  dollars 
where  he  has  taken  one  out  of  the  treasury,  and  he  has  paid 
more  tithing  than  any  other  man  in  the  Church.  Every- 
body should  pay  their  tenth  A  poor  woman  ought  to  pay 
her  tenth  chicken,  if  she  has  to  draw  out  ten  times  its  value 
for  her  support.  It  is  all  the  Lord's  and  we  are  only  his 
stewards  16:45. 

It  is  my  business  to  control  the  disbursements  of  the 
tithing  paid  by  the  Saints,  and  not  the  business  of  every 
Elder  in  the  Kingdom  who  thinks  the  tithing  belongs  to 
him.  8:170. 

The  United  Order— The  Lord  has  declared  it  to  be  his 
will  that  his  people  enter  into  covenant,  even  as  Enoch  and 
his  people  did,  which  of  necessity  must  be  before  we  shall 
have  the  privilege  of  budding  the  Center  Stake  of  Zion,  for 
the  power  and  glory  of  God  will  be  there,  and  none  but  the 
pure  in  heart  will  be  able  to  live  and  enjoy  it.  18  -263. 

When  the  Lord  gave  the  revelation  instructing  us  in  our 
duty  as  to  consecrating  what  we  have,  if  the  people  then 
could  have  understood  things  precisely  as  they  are,  and  had 
obeyed  that  revelation,  it  would  have  been  neither  more 
no  less  than  yielding  up  that  which  is  not  their  own,  to 
him  to  whom  it  belongs  And  so  it  is  now  2  -303 

When  they  bow  down  to  worship  the  Lord,  they  ac- 
knowledge that  the  earth  is  his,  and  the  cattle  upon  a 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  OSDER  277 

thousand  hills;  and  tell  the  Lord  there  is  no  sacrifice  they 
are  not  willing  to  make  for  the  sake  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  people  were  crying  this  continually 
among  the  churches  when  the  Book  of  Mormon  came 
forth,  and  the  Lord  spoke  through  Joseph,  revealing  the 
law  of  consecration,  to  see  whether  they  were  \villing  to 
do  as  they  said  in  their  prayers.  2 :305. 

There  is  another  revelation  still  prior  to  this  time,  stat- 
ing that  it  is  the  duty  of  all  people  who  go  to  Zion  to 
consecrate  all  their  property  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  This  revelation  was  referred  to  at 
the  April  Conference  in  1854.  It  was  one  of  the  first  com- 
mandments or  revelations  given  to  this  people  after  they 
had  the  privilege  of  organizing  themselves  as  a  Church, 
as  a  body,  as  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth.  I  ob- 
served then,  and  I  now  think,  that  it  will  be  one  of  the 
last  revelations  which  the  people  will  receive  into  their 
hearts  and  understanding,  of  their  own  free  will  and 
choice,  and  esteem  it  as  a  pleasure,  a  privilege,  and  a  bless- 
ing unto  them  to  observe  and  keep  most  holy.  2:299. 

I  have  said,  and  say  today,  that  according  to  the  age 
of  the  people  we  have  improved  as  fast  as  the  church  of 
Enoch.  I  trust  we  improve  faster,  for  we  have  not  as  much 
time  as  they  had.  In  some  of  the  first  revelations  which 
were  given  to  this  Church,  the  Order  of  Enoch  was  given 
for  a  pattern  to  this  people;  and  Enoch  patterned  after 
the  heavens.  In  the  commencement, of  the  Church,  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  could  not  receive  it,  and  they  were  driven 
from  city  to  city,  as  the  Lord  said  they  should  be,  through 
the  mouth  of  his  servant  Joseph,  until  they  should  be 
willing  to  receive  this  Order.  12:210. 

Will  the  time  ever  come  that  we  can  commence  and 


278  DISCOURSES   OF   BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

organize  this  people  as  a  family?  It  will.  Do  we  know 
how?  Yes;  what  was  lacking  in  these  revelations  from 
Joseph  to  enable  us  to  do  so  was  revealed  to  me.  Do 
you  think  we  will  ever  be  one?  When  we  get  home  to 
our  Father  and  God,  will  we  not  wish  to  be  in  the  family ? 
Will  it  not  be  our  highest  ambition  and  desire  to  be  reck- 
oned as  the  sons  of  the  living  God,  as  the  daughters  of 
the  Almighty,  with  a  right  to  the  household,  and  the  faith 
that  belongs  to  the  household,  heirs  of  the  Father,  his 
goods,  his  wealth,  his  power,  his  excellency,  his  knowl- 
edge and  wisdom?  11  326. 

I  will  say,  first,  that  the  Lord  Almighty  has  not  the 
least  objection  in  the  world  to  our  entering  into  the  Order 
of  Enoch.  I  will  stand  between  the  people  and  all  harm 
in  this  He  has  not  the  least  objection  to  any  man,  every 
man,  all  mankind  on  the  face  of  the  earth  turning  from 
evil  and  loving  and  serving  him  with  all  their  hearts  With 
regard  to  all  those  orders  that  the  Lord  has  revealed,  it 
depends  upon  the  will  and  doings  of  the  people,  and  we  are 
at  liberty,  from  this  Conference,  to  go  and  build  up  a 
settlement,  or  we  can  join  ourselves  together  in  this  city, 
do  it  legally— according  to  the  laws  of  the  land — and  enter 
into  covenant  with  each  other  by  a  firm  agreement  that 
we  will  live  as  a  family,  that  we  will  put  our  property 
into  the  hands  of  a  committee  of  trustees,  who  shall  dictate 
the  affairs  of  this  society  16  8 

And  when  this  people  become  one,  it  will  be  one  in 
the  Lord.  They  will  not  look  alike.  We  will  not  all 
have  grey,  blue,  or  black  eyes  Our  features  will  differ 
one  from  another,  and  in  our  acts,  dispositions,  and  efforts 
to  accumulate,  distribute,  and  dispose  of  our  time,  talents, 
wealth,  and  whatever  the  Lord  gives  to  us,  in  our  journey 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER  279 

through  life,  we  will  differ  just  as  much  as  in  our  features. 
The  point  that  the  Lord  wishes  to  bring  us  to  is  to  obey 
his  counsel  and  observe  his  word  Then  every  one  will 
be  dictated  so  that  we  can  act  as  a  family  12  -57. 

But  to  the  text.  We  want  to  see  a  community  organ- 
ized in  which  every  person  will  be  industrious,  faithful  and 
prudent.  What  will  you  do  with  the  children?  We  will 
bring  them  up  until  they  are  of  legal  age,  then  say,  "Go 
where  you  please.  We  have  given  you  a  splendid  edu- 
cation, the  advantage  of  all  the  learning  of  the  day,  and 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  stay  with  the  Saints,  go  where  you 
please."  What  will  you  do  with  those  who  apostatize  after 
having  entered  into  covenant  and  agreement  with  others, 
that  their  property  shall  be  one,  and  be  in  the  hands  of 
trustees,  and  shall  never  be  taken  out?  If  any  of  these 
parties  apostatize,  and  say  we  wish  to  withdraw  from  this 
community,  what  will  you  do  with  them?  We  will  say  to 
them,  "Go,  and  welcome,"  and  if  we  are  disposed  to  give 
them  anything,  it  is  all  right.  15:226. 

I  know  how  to  start  such  a  society,  right  in  this  city, 
and  how  to  make  its  members  rich  I  would  go  to  now, 
and  buy  out  the  poorest  Ward  in  this  city,  and  then  com- 
mence with  men  and  women  who  have  not  a  dollar  in  the 
world.  Bring  them  here  from  England,  or  any  part  of 
the  earth,  set  them  down  in  this  Ward  and  put  them  to 
work,  and  in  five  years  we  would  begin  to  enter  other 
Wards,  and  we  would  buy  this  house  and  that  house,  and 
the  next  house,  and  we  would  add  Ward  to  Ward  until  we 
owned  the  whole  city,  every  dollar's  worth  of  property 
there  is  in  it.  We  could  do  this,  and  let  the  rich  go  to 
California  to  get  gold,  and  we  would  buy  their  property. 
Would  you  like  to  know  how  to  do  this?  I  can  tell  you 


280  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  a  very  few  words — never  want  a  thing  you  cannot  get, 
live  within  your  means,  manufacture  that  which  you  wear, 
and  raise  that  which  you  tat.  Raise  every  calf  and  lamb, 
raise  the  chickens,  and  have  your  eggs,  make  your  butter 
and  cheese,  and  always  have  a  little  to  spare  The  first 
year  we  raise  a  crop,  and  we  have  more  than  we  want.  We 
buy  nothing,  we  sell  a  little  The  next  year  we  raise  more , 
we  buy  nothing  and  we  sell  more  In  this  way  we  could 
pile  up  the  gold  and  silver  and  in  twenty  years  a  hundred 
families  working  like  this  could  buy  out  their  neighbors. 
I  see  men  who  earn  four,  five,  ten  or  fifteen  dollars  a  day 
and  spend  every  dime  of  it.  Such  men  spend  their  means 
foolishly,  they  waste  it  instead  of  taking  care  of  it  They 
do  not  know  what  to  do  with  it,  and  they  seem  to  fear  that 
it  will  burn  their  pockets,  and  they  get  rid  of  it  If  you 
get  a  dollar,  sovereign,  half-eagle  or  eagle,  and  are  afraid 
it  will  burn  your  pockets,  put  it  into  a  safe  It  will  not 
burn  anything  there,  and  you  will  not  be  forced  to  spend, 
spend,  spend  as  you  do  now.  16:11. 

I  have  looked  upon  the  community  of  Latter-day  Saints 
in  vision  and  beheld  them  organized  as  one  great  family  of 
heaven,  each  person  performing  his  several  duties  in  his 
line  of  industry,  working  for  the  good  of  the  whole  more 
than  for  individual  aggrandizement;  and  in  this  I  have  be- 
held the  most  beautiful  order  that  the  mind  of  man  can  con 
template,  and  the  grandest  results  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  and  the  spread  of  righteousness  upon  the 
earth  Will  this  people  ever  come  to  this  order  of  things? 
Are  they  now  prepared  to  live  according  to  that  patriarchal 
order  that  will  be  organized  among  the  true  and  faithful 
before  God  receives  his  own?  We  all  concede  the  point 
that  when  this  mortality  falls  off,  and  with  it  its  cares,  anx- 


TITHING;  THE  UNITED  ORDER  281 

ieties,  love  of  self,  love  of  wealth,  and  love  of  power,  and 
all  the  conflicting  interests  which  pertain  to  this  flesh,  that 
then,  when  our  spirits  have  returned  to  God  who  gave 
them,  we  will  be  subject  to  every  requirement  that  he  may 
make  of  us,  that  we  shall  then  live  together  as  one  great 
family,  our  interest  will  be  a  general,  a  common  interest 
Why  can  we  not  so  live  in  this  world?  12 '1*53. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM 

Moderation—By  temperance  and  moderation  lay  the 

foundation  for  the  development  of  the  mind.    19  68 

Indulgence  of  appetite  is  not  worthy  the  notice  of  men 
and  women,  though  the  body  must  be  sustained,  for  that 
is  a  duty  God  has  placed  upon  us.  8:141. 

Satisfying  the  appetite  brings  to  an  end  the  pleasure  of 
eating;  and  where  food  is  partaken  of  chiefly  to  gratify  the 
pleasureable  sensation  derived  from  eating,  disease  is  engen- 
dered, and  true  misery  springs  out  of  this  unwise  gratifica- 
tion. Some  healthy,  strong-constitutioned  persons  can  eat 
large  quantities  of  food  with  apparent  impunity ;  but,  in  so 
doing,  the  tax  they  place  upon  their  systems  will  ultimately 
bring  disease  and  death  8  139. 

As  I  said  to  the  brethren  the  other  day  in  the  Thir- 
teenth Ward  schoolhouse,  with  regard  to  worldly  pleasure, 
comfoit,  and  enjoyment'  you  may  take  as  much  as  you 
please  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  it  will  not  make  your 
stomach  or  head  ache.  You  may  drink  nine  cups  of  strong 
spiritual  drink,  and  it  will  not  hurt  you;  but  if  you  drink 
nine  cups  of  strong  tea,  see  what  it  will  do  for  you.  Let 
a  person  that  is  very  thirsty  and  warm  satiate  his  appetite 
with  cold  water,  and  when  he  gets  through  he  will  perhaps 
have  laid  the  foundation  for  death,  and  may  go  to  an  un- 
timely grave,  which  is  frequently  done.  Excessive  eating, 
drinking,  or  exercise  all  tend  to  the  grave.  11  '329 

The  blessings  of  food,  sleep,  and  social  enjoyment  are 
ordained  of  God  for  his  glory  and  our  benefit,  and  it  is  for 
us  to  learn  to  use  them  and  not  abuse  them,  that  his  King- 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  283 

dom  may  advance  on  the  earth,  and  we  advance  in  it  6:149. 

The  Word  of  Wisdom— This  Word  of  Wisdom  pro- 
hibits the  use  of  hot  drinks  and  tobacco.  I  have  heard  it 
argued  that  tea  and  coffee  are  not  mentioned  therein;  that 
is  very  true ;  but  what  were  the  people  in  the  habit  of  taking 
as  hot  drinks  when  that  revelation  was  given?  Tea  and 
coffee.  We  were  not  in  the  habit  of  drinking  water  very 
hot,  but  tea  and  coffee — the  beverages  in  common  use.  And 
the  Lord  said  hot  drinks  are  not  good  for  the  body  nor  the 
belly,  liquor  is  not  good  for  the  body  or  the  belly,  but  for 
the  washing  of  the  body,  etc.  Tobacco  is  not  good,  save  for 
sick  cattle,  and  for  bruises  and  sores,  its  cleansing  prop- 
erties being  then  very  useful.  13 :277. 

I  know  that  some  say  the  revelations  upon  these  points 
are  not  given  by  way  of  commandment.  Very  well,  but 
we  are  commanded  to  observe  every  word  that  proceeds 
from  the  mouth  of  God.  13:3. 

Now  I  want  you  should  recollect — Bishops,  Elders  of 
Israel,  High  Priests,  Seventies,  the  Twelve  Apostles,  the 
First  Presidency,  and  all  the  House  of  Israel,  hearken  ye. 
O  my  people !  keep  the  word  of  the  Lord,  observe  the  Word 
of  Wisdom,  sustain  one  another,  sustain  the  household  of 
faith,  and  let  our  enemies  alone.  12 :29. 

Now,  Elders  of  Israel,  if  you  have  the  right  to  chew  to- 
bacco, you  have  a  privilege  I  have  not ;  if  you  have  a  right 
to  drink  whisky,  you  have  a  right  that  I  have  not ;  if  you 
have  a  right  to  transgress  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  you  have 
a  right  that  I  have  not.  12:30. 

I  said  to  the  Saints  at  our  last  annual  Conference,  the 
Spirit  whispers  to  me  to  call  upon  the  Latter-day  Saint? 
to  observe  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  to  let  tea,  coffee,  and  to- 
bacco alone,  and  to  abstain  from  drinking  spirituous  drinks. 


284  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

This  is  what  the  Spirit  signifies  through  me  If  the  Spirit 
of  God  whispers  this  to  his  people  thiough  their  leader,  and 
they  will  not  listen  nor  obey,  what  will  be  the  consequences 
of  their  disobedience  ?  Darkness  and  blindness  of  mind 
with  regard  to  the  things  of  God  will  be  their  lot ;  they  will 
cease  to  have  the  spirit  of  prayer,  and  the  spirit  of  the  world 
will  increase  in  them  in  proportion  to  their  disobedience 
until  they  apostatize  entirely  from  God  and  his  ways 
12.118 

In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  command  the 
Elders  of  Israel — those  who  have  been  in  the  habit  of  get- 
ting drunk — to  cease  drinking  strong  drink  from  this  time 
henceforth  But  some  may  think  they  need  it  as  soon  as 
they  go  out  of  this  house  Let  me  be  your  physician  in  this 
matter.  So  long  as  you  are  able  to  walk  and  attend  to  your 
business,  it  is  folly  to  say  that  you  need  ardent  spirits  to 
keep  you  alive.  The  constitution  that  a  person  has  should 
be  nourished  and  cherished;  and  whenever  we  take  any- 
thing into  the  system  to  force  and  stimulate  it  beyond  its 
natural  capacity,  it  shortens  life  I  am  physician  enough 
to  know  that  When  you  are  tired  and  think  you  need  a 
little  spirituous  liquor,  take  some  bread  and  butter  or  bread 
and  milk,  and  He  down  and  rest  Do  not  labor  so  hard  as 
to  deem  it  requisite  to  get  half  drunk  in  order  to  keep  up 
your  spirits.  If  you  will  follow  this  counsel,  you  will  be 
full  of  life  and  health,  and  you  will  increase  your  intelli- 
gence, your  joy,  and  comfort  7 '337. 

I  now  again  request  the  authorities  of  this  Church  in 
their  various  localities  to  sever  from  this  society  those  who 
will  not  cease  getting  drunk  7  338 

It  is  my  positive  counsel  and  command  that  drinking 
liquor  be  stopped  If  I  had  the  influence  the  world  gives  me 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  285 

credit  for,  I  would  not  have  a  single  drunkard,  thief,  or  liar 
in  this  society  I  do  not  profess  to  have  that  influence,  but 
I  can  raise  my  voice  against  those  evils  1  337. 

This  Word  of  Wisdom  which  has  been  supposed  to  have 
become  stale,  and  not  m  force,  is  like  all  the  counsels  of  God, 
in  force  as  much  today  as  it  ever  was.  There  is  life,  evei- 
lastmg  life  in  it — the  life  which  now  is  and  the  life  which  ^ 
to  come  12  209. 

It  is  a  piece  of  good  counsel  which  the  Lord  desires  his 
people  to  observe,  that  they  may  live  on  the  earth  until  the 
measure  of  their  creation  is  full.  This  is  the  object  the 
Lord  had  in  view  m  giving  that  Word  of  Wisdom  To 
those  who  observe  it  he  will  give  great  wisdom  and  under- 
standing, increasing  their  health,  giving  strength  and  en- 
durance to  the  faculties  of  their  bodies  and  minds  until  they 
shall  be  full  of  years  upon  the  earth  This  will  be  their 
blessing  if  they  will  observe  his  word  with  a  good  and 
willing  heart  and  in  faithfulness  before  the  Lord  12  156 

Mankind  would  not  become  attached  to  these  unnec- 
essary articles  were  it  not  for  the  poison  they  contain, 
The  poisonous  or  narcotic  properties  in  spirits,  tobacco  and 
tea  are  the  cause  of  their  being  so  much  liked  by  those  who 
use  them  13:276. 

I  say  to  all  the  Elders  of  Israel,  if  it  makes  you  sick  and 
so  sleepy  that  you  cannot  keep  out  of  bed  unless  you  have 
tobacco,  go  to  bed  and  there  lie  How  long?  Until  you 
can  get  up  and  go  to  your  business  like  rational  men,  like 
men  who  have  heads  on  their  shoulders  and  who  are  not 
controlled  by  their  foolish  appetites,  I  have  said  to  my 
family,  and  I  now  say  to  all  the  sisters  in  the  Church,  if 
you  cannot  get  up  and  do  your  washing  without  a  cup  of 
tea  in  the  morning,  go  to  bed,  and  there  lie  How  long? 


286  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Until  the  influence  of  tea  is  out  of  the  system  Will  it  take 
a  month ?  No  matter  if  it  does ;  if  it  takes  three  months,  six 
months,  or  a  year,  it  is  better  to  lie  there  in  bed  until  the 
influence  of  tea,  coffee  and  liquor  is  out  of  the  system,  so 
that  you  may  go  about  your  business  like  rational  persons, 
than  to  give  way  to  these  foolish  habits  They  are  destruc- 
tive to  the  human  system ,  they  filch  money  from  our  pock- 
ets, and  they  deprive  the  poor  of  the  necessaries  of  life 
13.278 

The  sisters  may  inquire,  "What  can  we  do?"  Rule 
your  own  passions,  and  exercise  faith  until  you  can  govern 
and  control  your  appetites,  instead  of  drinking  tea,  coffee, 
and  hot  drinks  That  is  one  of  the  smallest  duties  I  can 
think  of  Permit  your  bodies  to  have  natural  forms;  also 
take  pains  to  have  the  bodies  of  your  daughters  grow  na- 
turally, and  teach  them  what  they  are  made  for,  and  that 
they,  through  faith,  must  overcome  every  besetting  sin  and 
every  unholy  passion  and  appetite.  8-283 

And  now  that  we  have  commenced  to  observe  the  Word 
of  Wisdom,  never  treat  resolution  with  a  cup  of  tea  or 
coffee,  for  as  sure  as  you  treat  resolution  once,  it  will  plead 
hard  for  a  treat  again  Keep  the  Word  of  Wisdom— help 
the  poor,  feed  the  hungry,  and  clothe  the  naked.  Never 
let  it  be  said  of  the  Territory  of  Utah  that  a  poor  person 
had  to  go  to  the  second  house  for  a  morsel  to  eat  12  54-55. 

Many  of  our  sisters  think  they  cannot  live  without  tea. 
I  will  tell  you  what  we  can  do — I  have  frequently  said  it 
to  my  brethren  and  sisters — if  they  cannot  live  without 
tea,  coffee,  brandy,  whiskey,  wine,  beer,  tobacco,  etc ,  they 
can  die  without  them  This  is  beyond  controversy.  If 
we  had  the  determination  that  we  should  have,  we  would 
live  without  them  or  die  without  them.  Let  the  mother 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  287 

impregnate  her  system  with  these  narcotic  influences  when 
she  is  bringing  forth  a  family  on  the  earth,  and  what  does 
she  do?  She  lays  the  foundation  of  weakness,  palpitation 
of  the  heart,  nervous  affections,  and  many  other  ills  and 
diseases  in  the  system  of  her  offspring  that  will  afflict  them 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave  Is  this  righteous  or  unrighte- 
ous, good  or  evil?  Let  my  sisters  ask  and  answer  the 
question  for  themselves,  and  the  conclusion  which  each 
and  every  one  of  them  may  come  to  is  this,  "If  I  do  an 
injury  to  my  child,  I  sin."  13.276. 

Last  week  I  received  a  note  in  which  was  enclosed 
three  dollars  from  a  sister;  I  cannot  tell  her  name,  for  she 
did  not  give  it  She  said  she  had  not  drunk  any  tea  since 
Conference,  and  she  had  saved  about  three  dollars,  which 
she  enclosed  for  me  to  do  good  with  I  felt  "God  blest, 
her,"  and  she  will  be  blessed  as  sure  as  she  lives  12 :52 

If  you  observe  faithfully  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  you  will 
have  your  dollar,  your  five  dollars,  your  hundred  dollars, 
yea,  you  will  have  your  hundreds  of  dollars  to  spend  for 
that  which  will  be  useful  and  profitable  to  you  Why  should 
we  continue  to  practice  in  our  lives  those  pernicious  habits 
that  have  already  sapped  the  foundation  of  the  human  con- 
stitution, and  shortened  the  life  of  man  to  that  degree  that 
a  generation  passes  away  in  the  brief  period  of  from  twen- 
ty-seven to  twenty-nine  years?  The  strength,  power,  beau- 
ty and  glory  that  once  adorned  that  form  and  constitution 
of  man  have  vanished  away  before  the  blighting  influences 
of  inordinate  appetite  and  love  of  this  world  The  health 
and  power  and  beauty  that  once  adorned  the  noble  form 
of  man  must  again  be  restored  to  our  race ;  and  God  designs 
that  we  shall  engage  m  this  great  work  of  restoration.  Then 
let  us  not  trifle  with  our  mission,  by  indulging  in  the  use 


288  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  injurious  substances.  These  lay  the  foundation  of  dis- 
ease and  death  in  the  systems  of  men,  and  the  same  are 
committed  to  their  children,  and  another  generation  of 
feeble  human  beings  is  introduced  into  the  world.  Such 
children  have  insufficient  bone,  sinew,  muscle,  and  consti- 
tution, and  are  of  little  use  to  themselves,  or  to  their  fellow 
creatures ;  they  are  not  prepared  for  life.  12 :118. 

A  man  who  indulges  in  any  habit  that  is  pernicious  to 
the  general  good  in  its  example  and  influence,  is  not  only 
an  enemy  to  himself  but  to  the  community  so  far  as  the 
influence  of  that  habit  goes.  A  man  who  would  not  sacrifice 
a  pernicious  habit  for  the  good  it  would  do  the  community 
is,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  lukewarm  in  his  desires  and  wishes 
for  public  and  general  improvement 

So  we  see  that  almost  the  very  first  teachings  the  first 
Elders  of  this  Church  received  were  as  to  what  to  eat, 
what  to  drink,  and  how  to  order  their  natural  lives  that 
they  might  be  united  temporally  as  well  as  spiritually.  This 
is  the  great  purpose  which  God  has  in  view  m  sending  to 
the  world,  by  his  servants,  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salva- 
tion 12  158. 

There  is  more  strength  and  nutriment  in  a  bowl  of 
water  gruel  than  there  is  in  tea;  and  there  is  no  unhealthy 
influence  in  the  water  gruel,  but  there  is  in  tea  and  coffee. 
11-350. 

Live  Long.  Take  care  of  yourselves,  and  live  as  long 
as  you  can,  and  do  all  the  good  you  can.  4-302. 

The  first  principle  that  pertains  to  the  intelligence  God 
has  bestowed  upon  us  is  to  know  how  to  preserve  the 
present  organization  with  which  we  are  endowed.  It  is 
man's  first  duty  to  his  existence,  a  knowledge  of  which 
would  cause  him  to  use  all  prudent  efforts  for  the  preserva- 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  289 

tion  of  his  life  on  the  earth  until  his  work  here  is  completed 
8.281. 

Prepare  to  die,  is  not  the  exhortation  in  this  Church 
and  Kingdom ,  but  prepare  to  live  is  the  word  with  us,  and 
improve  all  we  can  in  the  life  hereafter,  wherein  we  may 
enjoy  a  more  exalted  condition  of  intelligence,  wisdom, 
light,  knowledge,  power,  glory,  and  exaltation.  Then  lei 
us  seek  to  extend  the  present  life  to  the  uttermost,  by 
observing  every  law  of  health,  and  by  properly  balancing 
labor,  study,  rest,  and  recreation,  and  thus  prepare  for  a 
better  life  Let  us  teach  these  principles  to  our  children, 
that,  in  the  morning  of  their  days,  they  may  be  taught  to 
lay  the  foundation  of  health  and  strength  and  constitu- 
tion and  power  of  life  in  their  bodies  11  132 

This  is  the  duty  of  the  human  family,  instead  of  wasting 
their  lives  and  the  lives  of  their  fellow-beings,  and  the 
precious  time  God  has  given  us  to  improve  our  minds  and 
bodies  by  observing-  the  laws  of  life,  so  that  the  longevity 
of  the  human  family  may  begin  to  return  By  and  by,  ac- 
cording to  the  Scriptures,  the  days  of  a  man  shall  be  like 
the  days  of  a  tree  But  in  those  days  people  will  not  eat 
and  drink  as  they  do  now ;  if  they  do  their  days  will  not  be 
like  a  tree,  unless  it  be  a  very  short-lived  tree  This  is  our 
business.  14 :89. 

We  are  trying  to  become  natural  in  our  habits,  and  are 
striving  to  fulfil  the  end  and  design  of  our  creation.  13  233 

The  fathers  and  mothers  have  laid  the  foundation  for 
many  of  these  diseases,  from  generation  to  generation,  until 
the  people  are  reduced  to  their  present  condition.  True, 
some  live  to  from  fifty  to  ninety  years  of  age,  but  it  is  an 
unusual  circumstance  to  see  a  man  an  hundred  years  old, 
or  a  woman  ninety.  Th«  people  have  laid  the  foundation  of 


290  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

short  life  through  their  diet,  their  rest,  their  labor,  and 
their  doing  this,  that,  and  the  other  in  a  wrong  manner, 
with  improper  motives,  and  at  improper  times  2  269. 

You,  mothers  and  daughters  m  Israel,  who  are  taking 
this  course,  how  do  you  expect  to  live  to  accomplish  the 
work  the  Lord  has  assigned  you?  You  get  up  in  the  morn- 
ing and  have  your  cup  of  tea,  your  fried  ham,  your  cold 
beef  and  xnmce  pies,  and  everything  you  can  possibly 
cram  into  the  stomach,  until  you  surfeit  the  system  and 
lay  the  foundation  for  disease  and  early  death  Says  the 
mother— "Do  eat,  my  little  daughter,  you  are  sick,  take 
a  piece  of  pie,  toast,  or  meat,  or  drink  a  little  tea  or  coffee , 
you  must  take  something  or  other "  Mothers  in  Israel, 
such  a  course  engenders  disease,  and  you  are  laying  a 
foundation  that  will  cut  off  one-half  or  two-thirds  of  the 
lives  of  your  children  12  37 

Eating  for  Health— Instead  of  doing  two  days'  work 
in  one  day,  wisdom  would  dictate  to  our  sisters,  and  to 
every  other  person,  that  if  they  desire  long  life  and  good 
health,  they  must,  after  sufficient  exertion,  allow  the  body 
to  rest  before  it  is  entirely  exhausted.  When  exhausted, 
some  argue  that  they  need  stimulants  in  the  shape  of  tea, 
coffee,  spirituous  liquors,  tobacco,  or  some  of  those  narcotic 
substances  which  are  often  taken  to  goad  on  the  lagging 
powers  to  greater  exertions.  But  instead  of  these  kind 
of  stimulants  they  should  recruit  by  rest.  Work  less,  wear 
less,  eat  less,  and  we  shall  be  a  great  deal  wiser,  healthier, 
and  wealthier  people  than  by  taking  the  course  we  now  do 
It  is  difficult  to  find  anything  more  healthy  to  drink  than 
good  cold  water,  such  as  flows  down  to  us  from  springs 
and  snows  of  our  mountains  This  is  the  beverage  we 
should  drink.  It  should  be  our  drink  at  all  times  If  we 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  291 

constantly  drink  even  malt  liquor  made  from  our  barley 
and  wheat,  our  health  would  be  injured  more  or  less  there- 
by. It  may  be  remarked  that  some  men  who  use  spirituous 
liquors  and  tobacco  are  healthy,  but  I  argue  that  they 
would  be  much  more  healthy  if  they  did  not  use  it,  and 
then  they  are  entitled  to  the  blessings  promised  to  those 
wha  observe  the  advice  given  in  the  "Word  of  Wisdom  " 
Some  few  persons  who  have  been  addicted  to  the  use  of 
hot  drinks,  etc  have  reached  the  age  of  eighty,  eighty-three, 
and  eighty-four  years,  but  had  they  not  been  addicted  to 
such  habits  of  living  they  might  have  reached  the  age  of 
an  hundred  or  an  hundred  and  five  years.  12 .122 

I  do  not  mean  to  go  without  food  and  go  to  fasting. 
This  is  the  other  extreme.  A  sufficient  amount  of  food 
that  will  agree  with  the  stomach  is  healthy,  and  should 
be  partaken  of.  Aged  or  middle  aged,  youth  or  children, 
never  should  go  without  food  until  their  stomachs  are  faint, 
demanding  something  to  sustain  their  systems,  and  contin- 
ue to  undergo  this ;  for  this  lays  the  foundation  of  weakness, 
and  this  weakness  will  tempt  disease  But  keep  the  stom- 
ach in  a  perfectly  healthy  condition.  Now  I  do  not  mean 
fasting,  but  eating  moderately,  and  if  my  sisters  will  go 
home  and  commence  to  adopt  this  rule,  you  will  find  that 
you  begin  to  get  better,  your  children  and  neighbors  will 
get  better.  We  do  not  expect  all  to  be  free  from  sickness. 
I  have  had  a  great  deal  of  sickness  in  my  life.  I  do  not 
expect  to  be  free  from  the  ills,  the  weakness,  debility  and 
disease  that  prey  upon  the  human  family,  but  we  can 
amend  our  ways,  and  amend  our  life  by  being  prudent; 
and  I  wish  the  sisters  to  understand  this,  and  to  adopt  these 
instructions.  19 :68, 

The  citizens  of  this  city  are  tolerably  comfortable;  a 


292  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

great  many  of  them  have  an  abundance  of  fruit,  and  they 
enjoy  it  .  It  is  very  healthy  for  them  and  their  children 
to  eat  in  the  season  thereof  11  141 

As  we  got  richer  and  built  warm  houses,  and  have  lived 
more  richly,  indulging  in  sweet  cake,  plum  pudding,  roast 
beef  and  so  on,  we  have  had  more  or  less  disease  among 
us  13.142. 

Go  into  their  houses  and  you  will  find  beef,  pork,  apple 
pie,  custard  pie,  pumpkin  pie,  mince  pie,  and  every  luxury, 
and  they  live  so  as  to  shorten  their  days  and  the  days  of 
their  children.  You  may  think  that  these  things  are  not  of 
much  importance ;  no  more  they  are,  unless  .they  are  ob- 
served, but  let  the  people  observe  them  and  they  lay  the 
foundation  for  longevity,  and  they  will  begin  to  live  out 
their  days,  not  only  a  hundred  years,  but,  by  and  by,  hun- 
dreds of  years  on  the  earth  Do  you  think  they  will  stuff 
themselves  then  with  tea  and  coffee,  and  perhaps  with  a 
little  brandy  sling  before  breakfast  and  a  little  before  going 
to  bed,  and  then  beef,  pork,  mutton,  sweet  meats,  and  pas- 
try, morning,  noon  and  night?  No;  you  will  find  they  will 
live  as  our  first  parents  did,  on  fruits  and  on  a  little  simple 
food,  and  they  will  never  overload  the  stomach  12  37 

Suppose  I  happen  to  say,  "Come,  wife,  let  us  have  a 
good  dinner  today",  what  does  she  get?  Pork  and  beef 
boiled,  stewed,  roasted,  and  fried  potatoes,  onions,  cabbage, 
and  turnips,  custard,  eggs,  pies  of  all  kinds,  cheese  and 
sweet  meats  2:269 

A  thorough  reformation  is  needed  in  regard  to  our  eat- 
ing and  drinking,  and  on  this  point  I  will  freely  express  my- 
self, and  shall  be  glad  if  the  people  will  hear,  believe  and 
obey  If  the  people  were  willing  to  receive  the  true  knowl- 
edge from  heaven  in  regard  to  their  diet  they  would  cease 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  293 

eating  swine's  flesh.  I  know  this  as  well  as  Moses  knew  it, 
and  without  putting  it  in  a  code  of  commandments,  The 
beef  fed  upon  our  mountain  grasses  is  as  healthy  food  as  we 
need  at  present.  Beef,  so  fattened,  is  as  good  as  wild 
meat,  and  is  quite  different  in  its  nature  from  stall-fed 
meat  But  we  can  eat  fish ;  and  I  ask  the  people  of  this 
community,  Who  hinders  you  from  raising  fowls  for  their 
eggs?  Who  hinders  you  from  cultivating  fruit  of  every 
variety  that  will  flourish  in  the  different  parts  of  this 
Territory ?  There  has  not  been  a  day  through  the  whole 
winter  that  I  have  not  had  fresh  peaches,  and  plenty  of 
apples  and  strawberries.  Who  hinders  any  person  in  this 
community  from  having  these  different  kinds  of  food  in 
their  families?  Fish  is  as  healthy  a  food  as  we  can  eat,  if 
we  except  vegetables  and  fruit,  and  with  them  will  become 
a  very  wholesome  diet  12  -192, 

When  we  go  on  a  trip  to  the  settlements  and  stop  at 
the  brethren's  houses,  it  is,  "Brother  Brigham,  let  us  mani- 
fest our  feelings  towards  you  and  your  company  "  I  tell 
them  to  do  so,  but  give  me  a  piece  of  Johnny-cake ,  I  would 
rather  have  it  than  their  pies  and  tarts  and  sweet  meats 
Let  me  have  something  that  will  sustain  nature  and  leave 
my  stomach  and  whole  system  clear  to  receive  the  Spirit" 
of  the  Lord  and  be  free  from  headache  and  pains  of  every 
kind 

The  Americans,  as  a  nation,  are  killing  themselves 
with  their  vices  and  high  living  As  much  as  a  man  ought 
to  eat  in  half  an  hour  they  swallow  in  three  minutes,  gulp- 
ing down  their  food  Uke  the  canine  quadruped  under  the 
table,  which,  when  a  chunk  of  meat  is  thrown  down  to  it, 
swallows  it  before  you  can  say  "twice-"  If  you  want  a 
reform,  carry  out  the  advice  I  have  just  given  you.  Dispense 


294  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

with  your  multitudinous  dishes,  and,  depend  upon  it,  you 
will  do  much  towards  preserving  your  families  from  sick- 
ness, disease  and  death 

If  this  method  were  adopted  in  this  community,  I  will 
venture  to  say  that  it  would  add  ten  years  to  the  lives  of 
our  chidlren  That  is  worth  a  great  deal.  13:153-154 

If  the  days  of  man  are  to  begin  to  return,  we  must 
cease  all  extravagant  living.  When  men  live  to  the  age  of 
a  tree,  their  food  will  be  fruit  Mothers,  to  produce  off- 
spring full  of  life  and  days,  must  cease  drinking  liquor,  tea, 
and  coffee,  that  their  systems  may  be  free  from  bad  effects, 
If  every  woman  in  this  Church  will  now  cease  drinking 
tea,  coffee,  liquor,  and  all  other  powerful  stimulants,  and 
live  upon  vegetables,  etc  not  many  generations  will  pass 
away  before  the  days  of  man  will  again  return.  But  it 
will  take  generations  to  eradicate  entirely  the  influences  of 
deleterious  substances  8  63. 

Living  out-of-Doors — People  need  not  be  afraid  of  living 
out  of  doors,  nor  sleeping  out  of  doors  This  country  is 
much  healthier  than  the  lowlands  in  the  States,  or  than 
many  places  in  the  Old  World  4  92 

Good  pure  air  is  the  greatest  sustainer  of  animal  life. 
Other  elements  of  life  we  can  dispense  with  for  a  time,  but 
this  seems  to  be  essential  every  moment;  hence  the  nec- 
essity of  well  ventilated  dwelling-houses,  especially  the 
rooms  occupied  for  sleeping.  You  can  live  without  water 
and  food  longer  than  you  can  without  air,  and  water  is  of 
more  importance  than  meat  and  bread.  8  168 

The  out-door  air  is  what  the  people  need  for  health,  it 
is  good  for  them  to  camp  out  Close  houses  are  injurious 
to  the  health ;  if  our  houses  were  every  one  of  them  levelled 
to  the  ground,  and  we  were  obliged  to  live  in  our  wagons 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  295 

and  tents,  the  people  would  be  healthier,  from  year  to  year, 
than  they  are  now.  Good  houses  are  comfortable  and  very 
convenient,  and  please  our  feelings,  and  are  tolerably 
healthful  when  properly  ventilated  2  284. 

What  gives  the  people  colds  and  makes  them  sick?  You 
hear  many  say  "I  had  not  had  a  cold  this  fall,  until  I  came 
into  our  new  house  "  Brethren  and  sisters  that  have  come 
into  the  city  from  living  in  the  canyons,  and  those  who 
have  arrived  from  the  States  this  season,  have  not  been 
troubled  with  colds  until  they  came  into  warm  houses; 
that  gives  them  colds,  by  depriving  their  lungs  of  the  bene- 
fit they  are  organized  to  receive  from  the  atmosphere 
491. 

We  should  have  plenty  of  pure,  fresh  air.  If  children 
are  kept  in  close  bed-rooms,  they  become  puny  and  weakly 
Let  them  sleep  where  they  can  have  abundance  of  pure 
air,  in  well  ventilated  rooms,  or  out  of  doors,  in  the  summer 
time,  in  a  safe  place;  it  will  be  most  beneficial  for  their 
health  12-218 

Exercise  and  Mental  Vigor — Do  you  know  that  it  is 
your  privilege  so  to  live  that  your  minds  may  all  the  time 
be  perfectly  within  your  control?  Study  to  preserve  your 
bodies  in  life  and  health,  and  you  will  be  able  to  control 
your  minds  8  135. 

My  mind  becomes  tired,  and  perhaps  some  of  yours  do. 
If  so,  go  and  exercise  your  bodies.  6  148. 

In  the  eastern  country  there  was  a  man  who  used  to  go 
crazy,  at  times,  and  then  come  to  his  senses  again.  One 
of  his  neighbors  asked  him  what  made  him  go  crazy ;  he 
replied,  "I  get  to  thinking,  and  thinking,  until  finally  I  think 
so  far  that  I  am  not  always  able  to  think  back  again."  Can 
you  think  too  much  for  the  spirit  which  is  put  in  the  taber- 


296  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

nacle?  You  can,  and  this  is  a  subject  which  I  wish  the 
brethren  instructed  upon,  and  the  people  to  understand 
The  spirit  is  the  intelligent  part  of  man,  and  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  tabernacle.  Let  this  intelligent  part 
labor  to  excess,  and  it  will  eventually  overcome  the  tab- 
ernacle, the  equilibrium  will  be  destroyed,  and  the  whole 
organization  deranged.  Many  people  have  deranged  them- 
selves by  thinking  too  much. 

The  thinking  part  is  the  immortal  or  invisible  portion, 
and  it  is  that  which  performs  the  mental  labor;  then  the 
tabernacle,  which  is  formed  and  organized  for  that  express 
purpose,  brings  about  or  effects  the  result  of  that  mental 
labor.  Let  the  body  work  with  the  mind,  and  let  them 
both  labor  fairly  together,  and,  with  but  few  exceptions, 
you  will  have  a  strong-minded,  athletic  individual,  power- 
ful both  physically  and  mentally. 

When  you  find  the  thinking  faculty  perfectly  active, 
in  a  healthy  person,  it  should  put  the  physical  organization 
into  active  operation,  and  the  result  of  the  reflection  is  car- 
ried out,  and  the  object  is  accomplished.  In  such  a  person 
you  will  see  mental  and  physical  health  and  strength  com- 
bined, in  their  perfection.  3 :247. 

As  for  health,  it  is  far  healthier  to  walk  than  to  ride, 
and  better  every  way  for  the  people.  4:103. 

Many  persons  are  so  constituted,  that  if  you  put  them 
in  a  parlor,  keep  a  good  fire  for  them,  furnish  them  tea, 
cake,  sweet  meats,  etc,  and  nurse  them  tenderly,  soaking 
their  feet,  and  putting  them  to  bed,  they  will  die  in  a  short 
time;  but  throw  them  into  snow  banks,  and  they  will  live 
a  great  many  years.  Brother  Heywood  would  have  been  in 
his  grave  long  ago,  if  he  had  not  led  an  out-door  life,  and 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  297 

such  is  the  case  with  others ;  but  he  is  again  here,  and  we 
have  the  privilege  of  seeing  him     4-295, 

Physiological  Differences— The  study  and  practice  of 
anatomy  and  surgery  are  very  good;  they  are  mechanical, 
and  are  frequently  needed  Do  you  not  think  it  is  neces- 
sary to  give  medicine  sometimes?  Yes,  I  can  see  the  faces 
of  this  congregation,  but  I  do  not  see  two  alike ;  and  if  I 
could  look  into  your  nervous  systems  and  behold  the  oper- 
ations of  disease, -from  the  crowns  of  your  heads  to  the 
soles  of  your  feet,  I  should  behold  the  same  difference  that  I 
see  in  your  physiognomy — there  would  be  no  two  precisely 
alike  Doctors  make  experiments,  and  if  they  find  a  medi- 
cine that  will  have  the  desired  effect  on  one  person,  they 
set  it  down  that  it  is  good  for  everybody,  but  it  is  not  so, 
for  upon  the  second  person  that  medicine  is  administered 
to,  seemingly  with  the  same  disease,  it  might  produce 
death.  If  you  do  not  know  this,  you  have  not  had  the 
experience  that  I  have  I  say  that  unless  a  man  or  woman 
who  administers  medicine  to  assist  the  human  system  to 
overcome  disease,  understands,  and  has  that  intuitive 
knowledge,  by  the  Spirit,  that  such  an  article  is  good  for 
that  individual  at  that  very  time,  they  had  better  let  him 
alone.  Let  the  sick  do  without  eating,  take  a  little  of  some- 
thing to  cleanse  the  stomach,  bowels  and  blood,  and  wait 
patiently,  and  let  nature  have  time  to  gain  the  advantage 
over  the  disease  15 :225. 

Feeding  Children— Now,  mothers,  if  you  want  to  do 
good,  do  not  let  your  sons  and  daughters  drink  either  tea 
or  coffee,  while  under  your  protection  11  352 

Some  mothers,  when  bearing  children,  long  for  tea  and 
coffee,  or  for  brandy  and  other  strong  drinks,  and  if  they 
give  way  to  that  influence  the  next  time  they  will  want 


298  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

more,  and  the  next  still  more,  and  thus  lay  the  foundation 
for  drunkenness  in  their  offspring.  An  appetite  is  engen- 
dered, bred,  and  born  in  the  child,  and  it  is  a  miracle  if  it 
does  not  grow  up  a  confirmed  drunkard.  2*270. 

Infants,  children,  youth,  young  men,  and  young  women, 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  them,  go  to  an  untimely 
grave  through  the  diseases  engendered  in  their  systems  by 
their  progenitors  13  276 

Sisters,  will  you  take  notice,  and  instruct  those  who 
are  not  here  today,  to  adopt  this  rule— stop  your  children 
from  eating  meat,  and  especially  fat  meat,  let  them  have 
composition*  to  drink,  instead  of  unhealthy  water ,  let  them 
eat  a  little  milk  porridge;  let  them  eat  sparingly  and  not 
oppress  the  stomach  so  as  to  create  a  fever  No  matter 
whether  it  is  a  child  or  a  middle-aged  person,  whenever 
the  stomach  is  over-loaded  and  charged  with  more  than  is 
required  it  creates  a  fever ;  this  fever  creates  sickness,  until 
death  relieves  the  sufferer  19  68 

Many  husbands  are  made  sick  and  many  children  are 
sent  to  an  untimely  grave  through  eating  badly  prepared 
food,  the  result  of  ignorance  or  carelessness  10  28 

Children  should  have  milk,  bread,  water,  and  potatoes, 
and  everything  that  would  lay  the  foundation  for  disease 
should  be  strenously  kept  from  their  stomachs,  that  no 
appetites  may  be  formed  for  pernicious  subtances,  which, 
when  formed,  cannot  be  overcome  easily,  if  at  all  2.21. 

I  will  tell  you  how  you  can  enjoy  health.  You  let  your 
children  have  a  little"  milk  in  the  morning  Give  them  a 
little  bread  with  it — not  soft  bread,  teach  your  children  to 
eat  crust— hard  baked  bread,  that  the  Americans  would  call 
stale,  but  the  English  would  not  Teach  them  to  eat  this, 


*Defme  Composition. 


THE  WORD  OF  WISDOM  299 

and  to  eat  sparingly.  Instead  of  drinking  unhealthy  water, 
boil  such  water,  and  let  it  stand  until  it  is  cool.  If  the  chil- 
dren are  in  the  least  troubled  with  summer  complaint,  and 
are  weak  in  their  bowels,  make  a  weak  composition  tea, 
sweeten  it  with  loaf  sugar  and  put  a  little  nice  cream  in  it  ; 
and  let  the  children  make  a  practice  of  drinking  composition 
instead  of  cold  water.  Mothers,  keep  the  children  from  eat- 
ing meat;  and  let  them  eat  vegetables  that  are  fully  ma- 
tured, not  unripe,  and  bread  that  is  well  baked,  not  soft. 
Do  not  put  your  loaf  into  the  oven  with  a  fire  hot  enough 
to  burn  it  before  it  is  baked  through,  but  with  a  slow  heat, 
and  let  it  remain  until  it  is  perfectly  baked;  and  I  would 
prefer,  for  my  own  eating,  each  and  every  loaf  to  be  not 
thicker  than  my  two  hands — you  tell  how  thick  they  are — 
and  I  would  \vant  the  crust  as  thick  as  my  hand  19 :67. 

Be  careful  of  your  bodies ;  be  prudent  in  laying  out  your 
energies,  for  when  you  are  old  you  will  need  the  strength 
and  power  you  are  now  wasting.  Preserve  your  lives 
Until  you  know  and  practice  this,  you  are  not  thoroughly 
good  soldiers  nor  wise  stewards.  8  136-137. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
THE  FAMILY 

Virtue — Purity  preserves,  sustains  and  increases. 
16:108. 

The  principle  of  pure  affection  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  it 
is  for  us  to  learn  to  control  it  and  exercise  proper  dominion 
over  it.  6:149. 

Learn  the  will  of  God,  keep  his  commandments  and  do 
his  will,  and  you  will  be  a  virtuous  person.  3 :204. 

Any  man  who  humbles  a  daughter  of  Eve  to  rob  her  of 
her  virtue,  and  cast  her  off  dishonored  and  defiled,  is  her 
destroyer,  and  is  responsible  to  God  for  the  deed.  If  the 
refined  Christian  society  of  the  nineteenth  century  will 
tolerate  such  a  crime,  God  will  not;  but  he  will  call  the 
perpetrator  to  an  account.  He  will  be  damned;  in  hell  he 
will  lift  up  his  eyes,  being  in  torment,  until  he  has  paid 
the  uttermost  farthing,  and  made  a  full  atonement  for  his 
sins.  11:268. 

The  defiler  of  the  innocent  is  the  one  who  should  be 
branded  with  infamy  and  cast  out  from  respectable  society, 
and  shunned  as  a  pest,  or,  as  a  contagious  disease,  is 
shunned.  The  doors  of  respectable  families  should  be  closed 
against  him,  and  he  should  be  frowned  upon  by  all  high- 
minded  and  virtuous  persons.  Wealth,  influence  and  posi- 
tion should  not  screen  him  from  their  righteous  indignation. 
His  sin  is  one  of  the  blackest  in  the  calendar  of  crime,  and 
he  should  be  cast  down  from  the  high  pinnacle  of  respecta- 
bility and  consideration,  to  find  his  place  among  the  worst 
of  felons.  11:267. 

I  would  rather  follow  her  to  the  grave,  and  send  her 


THE  FAMILY  301 

home  pure,  than  suffer  my  daughter  to  be  prostituted.  I 
will  not  suffer  any  female  member  of  my  family  to  be  pol- 
luted through  the  corruptions  of  wicked  men.  2  -322. 

Ever  since  I  knew  that  my  mother  was  a  woman  I  loved 
the  sex,  and  delighted  in  their  chastity.  The  man  whc 
abuses,  or  tries  to  bring  dishonor  upon  the  female  sex  is  a 
fool,  and  does  not  know  that  his  mother  and  his  sisters 
were  women  12:194. 

Marriage — Let  every  man  in  the  land  over  eighteen 
years  of  age  take  a  wife,  and  then  go  to  work  with  your 
hands  and  cultivate  the  earth,  or  labor  at  some  mechanical 
business,  or  some  honest  trade  to  provide  an  honest  living 
for  yourselves  and  those  who  depend  upon  you  for  their 
subsistence;  observing  temperance,  and  loving  truth  and 
virtue ;  then  would  the  woman  be  cared  for,  be  nourished, 
honored  and  blest,  becoming  honorable  mothers  of  a  race 
of  men  and  women  farther  advanced  in  physical  and  mental 
perfection  than  their  fathers.  This  would  create  a  revolu- 
tion in  our  country,  and  would  produce  results  that  would 
be  of  incalculable  good.  12 : 194-195. 

Young  men,  fit  you  up  a  little  log  cabin,  if  it  is  not  more 
than  ten  feet  square,  and  then  get  you  a  bird  to  put  in  your 
little  cage.  You  can  then  work  all  day  with  satisfaction  to 
yourself  considering  that  you  have  a  home  to  go  to,  and  a 
loving  heart  to  welcome  you.  You  will  then  have  something 
to  encourage  you  to  labor  and  gather  around  you  the  com- 
forts of  life,  and  a  place  to  gather  them  to.  Strive  to  make 
your  little  home  attractive.  Use  lime  freely,  and  let  your 
houses  nestle  beneath  the  cool  shades  of  trees,  and  be  made 
fragrant  with  perfume  of  flowers.  12:204. 

The  Lord  says — Let  my  servants  and  handmaidens  be 
sealed,  and  let  their  children  be  sealed  12 :164. 


302  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

We  understand  that  we  are  to  be  made  kings  and  priests 
unto  God ,  now  if  I  be  made  the  king  and  lawgiver  to  my 
family,  and  if  I  have  many  sons,  I  shall  become  the  father 
of  many  fathers,  for  they  will  have  sons,  and  their  sons  will 
have  sons,  and  so  on,  from  generation  to  generation,  and, 
in  this  way,  I  may  become  the  father  of  many  fathers,  or 
the  king  of  many  kings  This  will  constitute  every  man  a 
prince,  king,  lord,  or  whatever  the  Father  sees  fit  to  confer 
upon  us. 

In  this  way  we  can  become  king  of  kings,  and  lord  of 
lords,  or  father  of  fathers,  or  prince  of  princes,  and  this  is 
the  only  course,  for  another  man  is  not  going  to  raise  up  a 
kingdom  for  you.  3 .265-266 

But  the  whole  subject  of  the  marriage  relation  is  not  in 
my  reach,  nor  in  any  other  man's  reach  on  this  earth.  It  is 
without  beginning  of  days  or  end  of  years;  it  is  a  hard 
matter  to  reach.  We  can  tell  some  things  with  regard  to  it , 
it  lays  the  foundation  for  worlds,  for  angels,  and  for  the 
Gods,  for  intelligent  beings  to  be  crowned  with  glory, 
immortality,  and  eternal  lives  In  fact,  it  is  the  thread  which 
runs  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  holy  Gospel  of 
Salvation — of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God;  it  is  from 
eternity  to  eternity  2  90, 

When  a  man  and  woman  have  received  their  endow- 
ments and  sealingst,  and  then  liad  children  born  to  them 
afterwards,  those  children  are  legal  heirs  to  the  Kingdom 
and  to  all  its  blessings  and  promises,  and  they  are  the  only 
ones  that  are  on  this  earth  There  is  not  a  young  man  in 
our  community  who  would  not  be  willing  to  travel  from 
here  to  England  to  be  married  right,  if  he  understood  things 
as  they  are ;  there  is  not  a  young  woman  in  our  community, 

*In  the  Temple— For  Eternity 


IHEbAMlLY  303 

who  loves  the  Gospel  and  wishes  its  blessings,  that  would 
be  married  in  any  other  way,  they  would  live  unmarried 
until  they  could  be  married  as  they  should  be,  if  they  lived 
until  they  were  as  old  as  Sarah  before  she  had  Isaac  born 
to  her.  Many  of  our  brethren  have  married  off  their  chil- 
dren without  taking  this  into  consideration,  and  thinking 
it  a  matter  of  little  importance  I  wish  we  all  understood 
this  in  the  light  in  which  heaven  understands  it  11  118. 

Our  children  who  are  born  in  the  Priesthood  are  legal 
heirs,  and  entitled  to  the  revelations  of  the  Lord,  and  as 
the  Lord  lives,  his  angels  have  charge  over  them,  though 
they  may  be  left  to  themselves  occasionally.  12:174. 

There  is  no  ecclesiastical  law  that  you  know  anything 
about,  to  free  a  wife  from  a  man  to  whom  she  has  be'en 
sealed,  if  he  honors  his  Priesthood.  8  345 

I  will  give  each  of  the  young  men  in  Israel,  who  have 
arrived  at  an  age  to  marry,  a  mission  to  go  straightway  and 
get  married  to  a  good  sister,  fence  a  city  lot,  lay  out  garden 
and  orchard  and  make  a  home  This  is  the  mission  that  I 
give  to  all  young  men  m  Israel.  And  I  say  to  you,  sisters, 
if  you  do  not  know  how  to  milk  a  cow,  you  can  soon  learn. 
If  you  do  not  know  how  to  feed  the  cows,  you  can  learn 
If  you  do  not  know  how  to  feed  the  chickens,  get  them  and 
learn  how,  and  if  your  husband  takes  you  to  live  in  ever 
so  small  and  humble  a  cottage,  make  it  neat  and  nice  and 
clean,  and  set  out  flowers  around  the  doors,  and  let  the 
husband  plant  fruit  trees  and  shade  trees,  and  let  wives 
help  their  husbands  that  they  may  be  encouraged  to  take 
hold  of  more  important  business  that  will  create  an  income 
sufficient  to  sustain  their  wives,  and  by  economy  and  care 
become  wealthy  in  a  short  time,  and  have  your  carnage  to 
ride  in.  What  a  satisfaction  it  will  be  to  you  to  know  that 


304  DISCOURSES  or  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

what  you  possess  is  the  result  of  your  industry  and 
economy.  12  200-201 

Do  Not  Marry  Unbelievers—Be  careful,  0  ye  mothers 
in  Israel,  and  do  not  teach  your  daughters  in  future,  as 
many  of  them  have  been  taught,  to  marry  out  of  Israel 
Woe  to  you  who  do  it,  you  will  lose  your  crowns  as  sure 
as  God  lives  12  97. 

What  was  the  cause  of  the  first,  or  one  of  the  first, 
curses  that  came  upon  Israel?  I  will  tell  you.  One  of  the 
first  transgressions  of  the  family  called  Israel,  was  their 
going  to  other  families  or  other  nations  to  select  partners. 
This  was  one  of  the  great  mistakes  made  by  the  children 
of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  for  they  would  go  and  marry 
with  other  families,  although  the  Lord  had  forbidden  them 
to  do  so,  and  had  given  them  a  very  strict  and  stringent 
law  on  the  subj-ect  He  commanded  them  not  to  marry 
among  the  Gentiles,  but  they  did  and  would  do  it  Inas- 
much as  they  would  not  do  what  he  required  of  them, 
then  he  gave  them  what  I  call  a  portion  of  the  law  of  carnal 
commandments  This  law  told  them  what  they  might  and 
whom  they  might  not  marry.  It  was  referred  to  by  the 
Savior  and  his  Apostles  and  it  was  a  grievous  yoke  to 
place  on  the  necks  of  any  people,  but  as  the  children  of 
this  family  would  run  after  Babylon,  and  after  the  pride 
and  the  vanity  and  evils  of  the  world,  and  seek  to  introduce 
them  into  Israel,  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  place  this  burden 
upon  them.  16  111 

How  is  it  with  you,  sisters  ?  Do  you  distinguish  be- 
tween a  man  of  God  and  a  man  of  the  world?  It  is  one  of 
the  strangest  things  that  happens  in  my  existence,  to  think 
that  any  man  or  woman  can  love  a  being  that  will  not  re- 
ceive the  truth  of  heaven  The  love  this  Gospel  produces 


THE  FAMILY  305 

is  far  above  the  love  of  women ,  it  is  the  love  of  God — the 
love  of  eternity—of  eternal  lives.    8 : 199-200. 

Birth  Control— There  are  multitudes  of  •  ure  and  holy 
spirits  waiting  to  take  tabernacles,  now  wnat  is  our  duty? 
— To  prepare  tabernacles  for  them ,  to  take  a  course  that 
will  not  tend  to  drive  those  spirits  into  the  families  of  the 
wicked,  where  they  will  be  trained  in  wickedness,  de- 
bauchery, and  every  species  of  crime.  It  is  the  duty  of 
every  righteous  man  and  woman  to  prepare  tabernacles 
for  all  the  spirits  they  can.  4:56 

This  is  the  reason  why  the  doctrine  of  plurality  of  wives 
was  revealed,  that  the  noble  spirits  which  are  waiting  for 
tabernacles  might  be  brought  forth.  4:56 

To  check  the  increase  of  our  race  has  its  advocates 
among  the  influential  and  powerful  circles  of  society  in  our 
nation  and  in  other  nations  The  same  practice  existed  for- 
ty-five years  ago,  and  various  devices  were  used  by  mar- 
ried persons  to  prevent  the  expenses  and  responsibilities 
of  a  family  of  children,  which  they  must  have  incurred  had 
they  suffered  nature's  laws  to  rule  preeminent  -  That  which 
was  practiced  then  in  fear  and  against  reproving  conscience, 
is  now  boldly  trumpeted  abroad  as  one  of  the  best  means  of 
ameliorating  the  miseries  and  sorrows  of  humanity  In- 
fanticide is  very  prevalent  in  our  nation  It  is  a  crime  that 
comes  within  the  purview  of  the  law,  and  is  therefore  not 
so  boldly  practiced  as  is  the  other  equally  great  crime, 
which  no  doubt,  to  a  great  extent,  prevents  the  necessity  of 
infanticide  The  unnatural  style  of  living,  the  extensive 
use  of  narcotics,  the  attempts  to  destroy  and  dry  up  the 
fountains  of  life,  are  fast  destroying  the  American  element 
of  the  nation ;  it  is  passing  a\vay  before  the  increase  of  the 
more  healthy,  robust,  honest,  and  less  sinful  class  of  the 


306  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

people  which  are  pouring  into  the  country  daily  from  the 
Old  World.  The  wife  of  the  servant  man  is  the  mother  of 
eight  or  ten  healthy  children,  while  the  wife  of  his  master 
is  the  mother  of  one  or  two  poor,  sickly  children,  devoid 
of  vitality  and  constitution,  and,  if  daughters,  unfit,  in  their 
turn,  to  be  mothers,  and  the  health  and  vitality  which 
nature  has  denied  them  through  the  irregularities  of  their 
parents  are  not  repaired  in  the  least  by  their  education. 
12:120-121. 

The  Husband— Let  the  father  be  the  head  of  the  family, 
the  master  of  his  own  household ,  and  let  him  treat  them  as 
an  angel  would  treat  them;  and  let  the  wives  and  the 
children  say  amen  to  what  he  says,  and  be  subject  to  his 
dictates,  instead  of  their  dictating  the  man,  instead  of  their 
trying  to  govern  him.  4 .55. 

Now  let  me  say  to  the  First  Presidency,  to  the  Apostles, 
to  all  the  Bishops  in  Israel,  and  to  every  quorum,  and  espe- 
cially to  those  who  are  presiding  officers,  Set  that  example 
before  your  wives  and  your  children,  before  your  neighbors 
and  this  people,  that  you  can  say.  "Follow  me,  as  I  follow 
Christ "  When  we  do  this,  all  is  right,  and  our  consciences 
are  clear.  15.229. 

I  exhort  you,  masters,  fathers,  and  husbands,  to  be  af- 
fectionate and  kind  to  those  you  preside  over  And  let 
them  be  obedient,  let  the  wife  be  subject  to  her  husband, 
and  the  children  to  their  parents  Mothers,  let  your  minds 
be  sanctified  before  the  Lord,  for  this  is  the  commencement, 
the  true  foundation  of  a  proper  education  in  your  children, 
the  beginning  point  to  form  a  disposition  in  your  offspring, 
that  will  bring  honor,  glory,  comfort,  and  satisfaction  to 
you  all  your  life  time.  1  69. 

Let  the  husband  and  father  learn  to  bend  his  will  to  the 


THE  FAMILY  307 

will  of  his  God,  and  then  instruct  his  wives  and  children 
in  this  lesson  of  self-government  by  his  example  as  well  as 
by  precept,  and  his  neighbors  also,  showing  them  how  to 
be  brave  and  steadfast,  in  subduing  the  rebellious  and  sinful 
disposition.  Such  a  course  as  this  will  eventually  subdue 
that  unhallowed  influence  which  works  upon  the  human 
heart  9:256. 

It  is  for  the  husband  to  learn  how  to  gather  around  his 
family  the  comforts  of  life,  how  to  control  his  passions 
and  temper,  and  how  to  command  the  respect,  not  only  of 
his  family  but  of  all  his  brethren,  sisters,  and  friends.  It 
is  the  calling  of  the  wife  and  mother  to  know  what  to  do 
with  everything  that  is  brought  into  the  house,  laboring 
to  make  her  home  desirable  to  her  husband  and  children, 
making  herself  an  Eve  in  the  midst  of  a  little  paradise  of 
her  own  creating,  securing  her  husband's  love  and  confi- 
dence, and  tying  her  offspring  to  herself,  with  a  love  that 
is  stronger  than  death,  for  an  everlasting  inheritance 
1028. 

Let  the  husband  make  an  improvement  upon  his  kitchen 
and  pantry  and  upon  his  bedrooms  for  the  benefit  of  his 
family,  and  improve  his  gardens,  walks,  etc.,  beautifying 
your  habitations  and  their  surroundings,  making  pavements 
and  planting  shade  trees.  10.177. 

I  have  been  into  houses  which  have  not  had  the  lea-»t 
convenience  for  the  women,  not  so  much  as  a  bench  to  set 
their  water  pails  on,  and  they  have  to  set  them  on  the  floor, 
and  yet  their  husbands  will  sit  there  year  after  year,  and 
never  make  so  much  improvement  as  a  bench  to  set  the  pail 
on.  Yet  they  have  the  ability,  but  they  will  not  exercise  it 
18-75. 

The  father  should  be  full  of  kindness,  and  endeavor  to 


308  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

happily  and  cheer  the  mother,  that  her  heart  may  be  com- 
forted and  her  affections  unimpaired  in  her  earthly  pro- 
tector, that  her  love  for  God  and  righteousness  may  vibrate 
throughout  her  whole  being,  that  she  may  bear  and  bring 
forth  offspring  impressed  and  endowed  with  all  the  quali- 
ties necessary  to  a  being  designed  to  reign  king  of  kings  and 
lord  of  lords.  8*62 

The  Wife—You  cannot  read  in  the  Bible  that  women 
take  the  lead — that  the  responsibility  is  upon  the  women, 
for  it  is  not  so.  9 .143. 

One  thing  is  very  true  and  we  believe  it,  and  that  is  that 
a  woman  is  the  glory  of  the  man ;  but  she  was  not  made  to 
be  worshiped  by  him.  As  the  Scriptures  say,  Man  is  not 
without  the  woman,  neither  is  woman  without  the  man  in 
the  Lord.  Yet  woman  was  not  made  to  be  worshiped 
anymore  than  man  was  Woman  has  her  influence,  and  she 
should  use  that  in  training  her  children  in  the  way  they 
should  go,  if  she  fails  to  do  this  she  assumes  fearful  res- 
ponsibilities 14.106 

I  have  a  word  to  say  to  my  sisters  When  I  reflect  upon 
the  duties  and  responsibilities  devolving  upon  our  mothers 
and  sisters,  and  the  influence  they  wield,  I  look  upon  them 
as  the  mainspring  and  soul  of  our  being  here  It  is  true  that 
man  is  first.  Father  Adam  was  placed  here  as  king  of  the 
earth,  to  bring  it  into  subjection  But  when  Mother  Eve 
teme  she  had  a  splendid  influence  over  him.  A  great  many 
have  thought  it  was  not  very  good ;  I  think  it  was  excellent. 

Now,  I  say  the  women  have  great  influence  Look  at 
the  nations  of  the  earth.  Any  nation  you  like,  no  matter 
which,  and  you  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  female  portion 
^of  it  and  what  is  there  you  cannot  perform  ?  If  the  govern- 
ment wants  soldiers,  they  are  on  hand ;  if  means,  it  is  forth- 


THE  FAMILY  309 

coming  If  you  want  influence  and  powei,  and  have  the 
ladies  on  your  side,  they  will  give  it  you  14 :102. 

Now,  a  few  words  directly  to  my  sisters  here  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  We  want  your  influence  and  power  in 
helping  to  build  up  that  Kingdom  and  what  I  wish  to  sa) 
to  you  is  simply  this,  if  you  will  govern  and  control  your- 
selves in  all  things  in  accordance  with  good,  sound,  common 
sense  and  the  principles  of  truth  and  righteousness,  there 
is  not  the  least  fear  but  what  father,  uncle,  grandfather, 
brothers,  and  sons  will  follow  in  the  wake  14  102. 

You  ought  to  love  a  woman  only  so  far  as  she  adorns 
the  doctrine  you  profess  3 :360 

The  mothers  are  the  moving  instruments  in  the  hands 
of  Providence  to  guide  the  destinies  of  nations  Let  the 
mothers  of  any  nation  teach  their  children  not  to  make 
war,  the  children  would  grow  up  and  never  enter  into  it 
Let  the  mothers  teach  their  children,  "War,  war  upon 
your  enemies,  yes,  war  to  the  hilt  1"  and  they  will  be  filled 
with  this  spirit.  Consequently,  you  see  at  once  what  I  wish 
to  impress  upon  your  mind  is,  that  the  mothers  are  the 
machinery  that  give  zest  to  the  whole  man,  and  guide  the 
destinies  and  lives  of  men  upon  the  earth  19  72 

It  is  the  right  of  the  mother  who  labors  in  the  kitchen, 
with  her  little  prattling  children  around,  to  enjoy  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  and  to  know  her  duty  with  regard  to  those  chil- 
dren ,  but  it  is  not  her  duty  and  privilege  to  dictate  to  her 
husband  in  his  duties  and  business  If  that  mother  or  wife 
enjoys  the  gift  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  she  will  never 
intrude  upon  the  rights  of  her  husband  It  is  the  right  and 
privilege  of  the  husband  to  know  his  duty  with  regard  to 
his  wives  and  children,  his  flocks  and  his  herds,  his  fields 
and  his  possessions;  though  I  have  seen  women  who,  I 


310  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

thought,  actually  knew  more  about  the  business  of  life  than 
their  husbands  themselves  did,  and  were  really  more  capa- 
ble of  directing  a  farm,  the  building  of  a  house,  and  the 
management  of  flocks  and  herds,  etc.,  than  the  men  were, 
but  if  men  were  to  live  up  to  their  privileges  this  would 
not  be  the  case,  for  it  is  their  right  to  claim  the  light  of 
truth  and  that  intelligence  and  knowledge  necessary  to  en- 
able them  to  carry  on  every  branch  of  their  business  suc- 
cessfully 11:135 

Study  order  and  cleanliness  in  your  various  occupations. 
Adorn  your  city  and  neighborhood,  Make  your  homes 
lovely,  and  adorn  your  hearts  with  the  grace  of  God. 
8  297. 

You  may  say  that  it  is  hard  work  to  please  a  man ;  yes, 
and  woman  too.  But  when  a  man  does  his  duty  in  provid- 
ing for  a  family,  there  can  reasonably  be  but  little  complaint 
on  the  part  of  any  sensible  woman.  4 '314. 

Many  of  the  sisters  grieve  because  they  are  not  blessed 
with  offspring.  You  will  see  the  time  when  you  will  have 
millions  of  children  around  you.  If  you  are  faithful  to  your 
covenants,  you  will  be  mothers  of  nations  8  *208. 

It  is  your  right,  wives,  to  ask  your  husbands  to  set  out 
beautiful  shade  and  fruit  trees,  and  to  get  you  some  vines 
and  flowers  with  which  to  adorn  the  outside  of  your  dwell- 
ings; and  if  your  husbands  have  not  time,  get  them  your- 
selves and  plant  them  out.  Some,  perhaps,  will  say,  "0,  I 
have  nothing  but  a  log  house,  and  it  is  not  worth  that." 
Yes,  it  is  worth  it.  Whitewash  and  plaster  it  up,  and  get 
vines  to  run  over  the  door,  so  that  everybody  who  passes 
will  say,  "What  a  lovely  little  cottage!"  This  is  your  privi- 
lege and  I  wish  you  to  exercise  yourselves  in  your  own 
rights  14  105 


THE  FAMILY  311 

It  is  not  my  general  practice  to  counsel  the  sisters  to 
disobey  their  husbands,  but  my  counsel  is — obey  your  hus- 
bands ;  and  I  am  sanguine  and  most  emphatic  on  that  sub- 
ject. But  I  never  counselled  a  woman  to  follow  her  hus- 
band to  the  Devil.  If  a  man  is  determined  to  expose  the 
lives  of  his  friends,  let  that  man  go  to  the  Devil  and  to  des- 
truction alone.  1  77. 

A  few  words  to  the  sisters,  you  mothers  who  are  trifling 
with  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God,  and  the  blessings 
that  are  proffered  to  you,  I  will  say  that  the  time  will  come, 
if  you  persist  in  doing  so,  when  you  will  mourn,  and  will 
be  willing  to  give  worlds,  if  you  possessed  them,  for  the 
privilege  of  living  your  lives  over  again.  Some  of  you  are 
treating  with  contempt  the  oracles  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
upon  the  earth,  and  in  the  commission  of  this  sin  you  trifle 
with  your  own  salvation,  as  well  as  the  salvation  of  your 
children  Repent,  and  turn  unto  God,  and  teach  your  chil- 
dren the  importance  of  doing  the  same,  and  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  ordinances  and  the  laws  of  God  18,263 

The  duty  of  the  mother  is  to  watch  over  her  children  and 
give  them  their  early  education,  for  impressions  received 
in  infancy  are  lasting.  You  know,  yourselves,  by  experi- 
ence, that  the  impressions  you  have  received  in  the  dawn 
of  your  mortal  existence,  bear,  to  this  day,  with  the  great- 
est weight  upon  your  mind  The  child  reposes  implicit  con- 
fidence in  the  mother,  you.  behold  in  him  a  natural  attach- 
ment, no  matter  what  her  appearance  may  be,  that  makes 
him  think  his  mother  is  the  best  and  handsomest  mother 
in  the  world.  I  speak  for  myself.  Children  have  all  con- 
fidence in  their  mothers ,  and  if  mothers  would  take  proper 
pains,  they  can  instill  into  the  hearts  of  their  children  what 
they  please.  You  will,  no  doubt,  recollect  reading,  in  the 


312  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Book  of  Mormon,  of  two  thousand  young  men,  who  were 
brought  up  to  believe  that,  if  they  put  their  whole  trust  in 
God,  and  served  him,  no  po\\er  would  overcome  them 
You  also  recollect  reading  of  them  going  out  to  fight,  and 
so  bold  were  they,  and  so  mighty  their  faith,  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  their  enemies  to  slay  them  This  power  and 
faith  they  obtained  through  the  teachings  of  their  mothers 

These  duties  and  lesponsibilities  devolve  upon  mothers 
far  more  than  upon  fathers,  for  you  know  the  latter  are 
often  in  the  field  or  canyon,  and  are  frequently  away  from 
home,  sometimes  for  several  days  together,  attending  to 
labors  which  compel  them  to  be  absent  from  home.  But 
the  mother  is  at  home  with  the  children  continually;  and 
if  they  are  taught  lessons  of  usefulness  it  depends  upon  her, 
14  IDS 

Mothers,  remember  that  when  your  husbands  are  en- 
gaged in  the  service  of  the  Church,  and  are  all  the  time  oc- 
cupied in  the  duties  of  the  Priesthood,  so  that  they  have 
not  time  to  instruct  their  children,  the  duty  devolves  upon 
you  Then  bring  your  children  up  in  the  ways  of  truth,  and 
be  to  them  both"  a  father  and  mother,  until  they  are  old 
enough  to  perform  duties  by  the  side,  and  under  the  im- 
mediate eye,  of  their  father,  I  like  to  see  mothers  bring 
their  children  to  meeting,  as  soon  as  they  can  be  brought 
without  injuring  them,  and  when  they  can  tell  what  they 
want,  and  call  for  water  when  they  are  faint.  As  soon  as 
they  are  old  enough  to  receive  instruction,  bring  them  here 
to  be  taught  2  21. 

Were  I  a  woman  possessed  of  great  powers  of  mind, 
filled  with  wisdom,  and,  upon  the  whole,  a  magnanimous 
woman,  and  had  been  privileged  with  my  choice,  and  had 
married  a  man,  and  found  myself  deceived,  he  not  answer- 


THE  FAMILY  313 

ing  my  expectations,  and  I  being  sorry  that  I  had  made 
such  a  choice,  let  me  show  my  wisdom  by  not  complaining 
about  it.  A  woman's  wisdom  and  judgment  has  failed  her 
once  in  the  choice  of  a  husband,  and  it  may  again,  if  she 
is  not  very  careful.  By  seeking  to  cast  off  her  husband- 
by  withdrawing  Jier  confidence  and  good  will  from  him, 
she  casts  a  dark  shade  upon  his  path,  when,  by  pursuing  a 
proper  course  of  love,  obedience,  and  encouragement,  he 
might  attain  to  that  perfection  she  had  anticipated  in  him 
7:280. 

Is  it  not  a  blessing  to  you,  mothers,  to  raise  up  Pro- 
phets and  Apostles— men  filled  with  the  glory  of  God,  to 
go  forth  and  extend  the  work  of  our  God?  8,92. 

I  can  say  to  the  sisters,  if  you  have  superior  talents, 
arise  and  let  your  light  shine.  Prove  to  your  neighbors 
and  the  community  that  you  are  capable  of  teaching  those 
sisters  whom  you  deem  to  be  ignorant  or  neglectful.  7  *162 

Children — J  wish  to  say  to  the  children,  obey  your  par- 
ents, be  good,  never  suffer  yourselves  to  do  that  which  will 
mortify  you  through  life,  and  that  will  cause  you  to  look 
back  with  regret  While  you  are  pure  and  spotless  pre- 
serve yourselves  in  the  integrity  of  your  souls.  Although 
you  are  young  you  know  good  from  evil,  and  live  so  that 
you  can  look  back  on  your  lives  and  thank  the  Lord  that 
he  has  preserved  you,  or  has  enabled  you  to  preserve  your- 
selves, so  that  you  have  no  misconduct  to  regret  or  mourn 
over.  Take  this  course  and  you  will  secure  to  yourselves 
an  honorable  name  on  earth  among  the  good  and  the  pure ; 
you  will  maintain  your  integrity  before  heaven,  and  prove 
yourselves  worthy  of  a  high  state  of  glory  when  you  get 
through  with  this  world,  14 :200. 

You  may  say  to  yourselves,  "If  I  can  do  as  well  as  my 


314  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

parents,  I  think  I  shall  do  well,  and  be  as  good  as  I  want 
to  be,  and  I  should  not  strive  to  excel  them  "  But  if  you 
do  your  duty  you  will  far  excel  them  in  everything  that  is 
good — in  holiness,  in  physical  and  intellectual  strength,  foi 
this  is  your  privilege,  and  it  becomes  your  duty  2'18. 

Our  young  folks  who  have  arrived  at  years  of  maturity 
should  think  and  act  for  themselves.  They  are  citizens  of 
the  earth,  they  have  a  share  here,  and  have  a  part  to  bear— 
a  character  to  form  and  frame  and  present  to  the  world,  or 
they  will  sink  into  oblivion  and  forgetfulness  13  '263. 

The  spirits  which  are  reserved  have  to  be  born  into  the 
world,  and  the  Lord  will  prepare  some  way  for  them  to 
have  tabernacles.  3  -264. 

I  can  pick  out  scores  of  men  in  this  congregation  who 
have  driven  their  children  from  them  by  using  the  wooden 
rod  Where  there  is  severity  there  is  no  affection  or  filial 
feeling  in  the  hearts  of  either  party,  the  children  would 
rather  be  away  from  father  than  be  with  him.  9.196. 

Those  whom  I  once  knew  as  little  boys  are  growing 
out  of  my  recollection ,  these  young  men  know  nothing  but 
"Mormonism/1  They  are  in  some  instances  called  wild  and 
ungovernable,  but  these  wild  boys,  properly  guided  and 
directed,  will  make  the  greatest  men  who  have  ever  lived 
upon  this  earth ;  and  I  want  them  to  throw  aside  their  dif- 
fidence and  come  up  and  shake  hands  with  me,  and  say, 
"How  do  you  do,  Brother  Brigham?"  for  I  feel  warmly  to- 
wards them.  11  118 

Family  Life— If  every  person,  who  professes  to  be  a 
Latter-day  Saint,  was  actually  a  Saint,  our  home  would  be 
a  paradise,  there  would  be  nothing  heard,  nothing  felt,  noth- 
ing realized,  but  praise  to  the  name  of  our  God,  doing  our 
duty,  and  keeping  his  commandments.  3  254. 


THE  FAMILY  315 

To  gam  the  spiritual  ascendancy  over  ourselves,  and 
the  influences  with  which  we  are  surrounded,  through  a 
rigid  course  of  self-discipline,  is  our  first  consideration,  it 
is  our  first  labor,  before  we  can  pave  the  way  for  our  chil- 
dren to  grow  up  without  sin  unto  salvation,  2 :131. 

In  my  experience  I  have  learned  that  the  greatest  dif- 
ficulty that  exists  in  the  little  bickerings  and  strifes  of  man 
with  man,  woman  with  woman,  children  with  children, 
parents  with  children,  brothers  with  sisters,  and  sisters  with 
brothers,  arises  from  the  want  of  rightly  understanding  each 
other.  4:368. 

In  our  daily  pursuits  in  life,  of  whatever  nature  and 
kind,  Latter-day  Samts,  and  especially  those  who  hold  im- 
portant positions  in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  should  maintain  a 
uniform  and  even  temper,  both  when  at  home  and  when 
abroad  They  should  not  suffer  reverses  and  unpleasant 
circumstances  to  sour  their  natures  and  render  them  fretful 
and  unsocial  at  home,  speaking  words  full  of  bitterness  and 
biting  acrimony  to  their  wives  and  children,  creating  gloom 
and  sorrow  in  their  habitations,  making  themselves  feared 
rather  than  loved  by  their  families  Anger  should  never 
be  permitted  to  rise  in  our  bosoms,  and  words  suggested 
by  angry  feelings  should  never  be  permitted  to  pass  our 
lips.  "A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath,  but  grievous 
words  stir  up  anger  "  "Wrath  is  cruel,  and  anger  is  out- 
rageous," but  "the  discretion  of  a  man  deferreth  his  anger; 
and  it  is  his  glory  to  pass  over  a  transgression."  1 1 :136. 

Fathers,  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters  are  no  more  to 
me  than  are  any  other  persons,  unless  they  embrace  this 
work.  Here  are  my  fathers,  my  mothers,  my  sisters,  and 
my  brethren  in  the  Kingdom,  and  I  have  none  outside  of  it, 
neither  in  any  part  of  the  earth,  nor  in  all  the  eternity  of 


316  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  Gods.  In  this  Kingdom  are  my  acquaintances,  relatives, 
and  friends, — my  soul,  my  affections,  my  all  8.199. 

If  a  child  or  relative  of  mine  forsakes  the  Gospel,  the 
holy  Priesthood,  hib  God,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God,  farewell 
to  that  child  or  relative,  whether  near  or  distant  I  own 
none  as  relatives,  only  those  who  love  and  serve  our  Lord 
and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ  All  that  belong  to  my  Father's 
house  I  own.  I  love  them,  I  delight  in  their  society,  no  mat- 
ter whether  they  are  poor  or  rich,  learned  or  unlearned,  if 
they  observe  the  laws  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  live  ac- 
cording to  it.  9  155 

If  children  have  sinned  against  their  parents,  or  hus- 
bands against  their  wives,  or  wives  against  their  husbands, 
let  them  confess  their  faults  one  to  another  and  forgive  each 
other,  and  there  let  the  confession  stop ,  and  then  let  them 
ask  pardon  from  their  God.  Confess  your  sins  to  whoever 
you  have  sinned  against,  and  let  it  stop  there  If  you  have 
committed  a  sin  against  the  community,  confess  to  them 
If  you  have  sinned  in  your  family,  confess  there.  Confess 
your  sins,  iniquities,  and  follies,  where  that  confession  be- 
longs, and  learn  to  classify  your  actions,  4  78. 

Let  us  live  so  that  the  spirit  of  our  religion  will  live 
within  us,  then  we  have  peace,  joy,  happiness  and  content- 
ment, which  makes  such  pleasant  fathers,  pleasant  mothers, 
pleasant  children,  pleasant  households,  neighbors,  commu- 
nities and  cities  That  is  worth  living  for,  and  I  do  think 
that  the  Latter-day  Saints  ought  to  strive  for  this.  15 .135. 

I  will  illustrate  the  method  of  establishing  confidence 
in  each  other  by  taking,  for  example,  the  child  of  four  or 
five  years  of  age  The  mother  allows  that  child  to  own  a 
small  chest  in  which  to  keep  his  little  trinkets,  such  as  lit- 
tle bosom  pins,  ribbons,  doll  clothes,  etc.  This  is  considered 


THE  FAMILY  317 

by  all  the  family  the  child's  chest  Now  let  none  go  into 
that  chest  and  take  anything  from  it,  without  the  consent 
of  the  child  This  is  a  very  small  matter,  some  may  think ; 
but  begin  at  as  small  a  point  as  this  to  create  confidence, 
and  let  it  grow  up  from  little  to  much.  Wives,  let  your 
husband's  stores  alone,  if  they  have  not  committed  them 
to  your  charge.  Husbands,  commit  that  to  your  wives  that 
belongs  to  them,  and  never  search  their  boxes  without  their 
consent.  I  can  boast  of  this.  I  have  lived  in  the  marriage 
relation  nearly  thirty  years,  and  I  never  was  the  man  to 
open  my  wife's  chest,  without  her  consent,  except  once,  and 
that  was  to  get  out  a  likeness  that  I  wanted  on  the  instant, 
and  she  was  not  at  home  to  get  it  for  me.  That  was  the 
first  time  I  ever  opened  a  trunk  in  my  life,  that  belonged 
to  my  wife,  or  to  my  child.  The  child's  little  chest,  with 
its  contents,  is  as  sacred  to  him,  as  mine  is  to  me.  If  this 
principle  were  strictly  carried  put  by  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  among  the  Saints,  it  would  make  them  a  blessed 
people  indeed.  1  *315. 

I  wish  the  daughters  of  Israel  to  far  exceed  their  moth- 
ers in  wisdom.  And  I  wish  these  young  men  and  boys  to 
far  exceed  their  fathers.  I  wish  my  sons  to  far  exceed  me 
in  goodness  and  virtue.  2  17. 

I  say  to  our  young  men,  be  faithful,  for  you  do  not  know 
what  is  before  you,  and  abstain  from  bad  company  and 
bad  habits  Let  me  say  to  the  boys  sixteen  years  old  and 
even  younger,  make  up  your  minds  to  mark  out  the  path 
of  rectitude  for  yourselves,  and  when  evil  is  presented,  let 
it  pass  by  unnoticed  by  you,  and  preserve  yourselves  in 
truth,  in  righteousness,  virtue  and  holiness  before  the  Lord. 
You  were  born  in  the  Kingdom  of  God ,  it  is  to  be  built  up ; 
the  earth  has  to  be  renovated,  and  the  people  sanctified, 


318  DISCOURSES  OF  BJUGHAM  YOUNG 

after  they  are  gathered  from  the  nations,  and  it  requires 
considerable  skill  and  ability  to  do  this ;  let  our  young  men 
prepare  themselves  to  aid  and  do  their  part  in  this  great 
work.  I  want  you  to  remember  this  teaching  with  regard 
to  our  youth.  11.118. 

Importance  o£  Early  Training — We  see  the  infant  in  its 
mother's  arms.  What  is  this  infant  here  for?  What  is  the 
design  in  the  creation  of  this  little  infant  child  ?  It  lies  here 
in  its  mothers'  arms ;  it  would  not  resist,  in  the  least,  if  it 
were  dropped  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  oil ;  if  it  were  thrown 
into  fire  it  would  not  know  it  until  it  felt  the  flames ;  it 
might  be  laid  down  here,  and  the  wolf  might  come  and  lick 
its  face,  and  it  would  not  know  but  that  its  mother  was 
soothing  it.  You  see  this  foundation,  the  starting  point, 
the  germ  of  intelligence  embodied  in  this  infant,  calculated 
to  grow  and  expand  into  manhood,  then  to  the  capacity  of 
an  angel,  and  so  onward  to  eternal  exaltation.  But  here 
is  the  foundation.  Sent  to  school,  the  child  learns  to  read, 
and  continues  to  improve  as  long  as  it  lives.  Is  this  the 
end  of  the  knowledge  of  man?  No.  It  is  only  the  begin- 
ning. It  is  the  first  stage  of  all  the  intelligence  that  the 
philosopher  in  his  reflections,  taking  the  starry  world  be- 
fore him*  and  looking  into  the  immensity  of  the  creations 
of  God,  can  imagine.  Here  is  the  first  place  where  we 
learn,  this  is^  the  foot  of  the  hill.  19 :46. 

When  children  are  old  enough  to  labor  in  the  field,  then 
the  father  will  take  them  in  charge.  If  children  are  not 
taught  by  their  mothers,  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  to  re- 
vere and  follow  the  counsels  of  their  fathers,  it  will  be  hard 
indeed  for  the  father  ever  to  control  them,  1:68. 

Parents,  have  you  ever  noticed  that  your  children  have 
exercised  faith  for  you  when  you  have  been  sick?  The  little 


THE  FAMILY  319 

daughter,  seeing  you  sick,  will  lift  her  heart  with  a  pure, 
angelic-like  prayer  to  heaven ;  and  disease  is  rebuked  when 
that  kmd  of  faith  is  exercised  God  bless  the  children '  I 
pray  that  they  may  live  and  be  reared  up  in  righteousness, 
that  God  may  have  a  people  that  will  spread  and  establish 
one  universal  reign  of  peace,  and  possess  the  powers  of  the 
world  to  come.  8*117. 

Influence  of  the  Mother— Let  mothers  commence  to 
teach  their  children  while  in  their  laps,  there  do  you  teach 
them  to  love  the  Lord,  and  keep  his  commandments  Teach 
them  to  keep  your  commandments,  and  you  will  teach  them 
to  keep  the  commandments  of  your  husbands  It  is  not  the 
prerogative  of  a  child  to  dictate  to  his  mother,  or  his  father ; 
and  it  is  not  the  prerogative  of  the  father  to  rise  up  and 
dictate  to  his  God  whom  he  serves.  1  68. 

If  you,  ranchers,  will  live  your  religion,  then  in  the  love 
and  fear  of  God  teach  your  children  constantly  and  thor- 
oughly in  the  way  of  life  and  salvation,  training  them  up  in 
the  way  they  should  go,  when  they  are  old  they  will  not 
depart  from  it,  I  promise  you  this,  it  is  as  true  as  the  shin- 
ing sun,  it  is  an  eternal  truth.  In  this  duty  we  fail,  we 
do  not  bring  up  our  children  in  the  way  they  should  go,  or 
there  would  be  no  turning  away,  wandering  here  and  there 
from  the  society  of  the  Saints.  We  let  our  children  do  too 
much  as  they  have  a  mind  to ,  if  they  want  this  or  that  their 
wishes  must  be  gratified.  19  92 

If  a  mother  wishes  to  control  her  child,  in  the  first  place 
let  her  learn  to  control  herself,  then  she  may  be  successful 
in  bringing  the  child  into  perfect  subjection  to  her  will. 
14  277. 

The  first  thing  that  is  taught  by  the  mother  to  the  child 


320    "  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

should  be  true;  we  should  never  allow  ourselves  to  teach 
our  children  one  thing  and  practice  another  13  244 

I  have  often  thought  and  said,  "How  necessary  it  is  for 
mothers,  who  are  the  first  teachers  of  their  children  and 
who  make  the  first  impressions  on  their  young  minds,  to  be 
strict"  How  careful  they  should  be  never  to  impress  a 
false  idea  on  the  mmd  o£  a  child '  They  should  never  teach 
them  anything  unless  they  know  it  is  correct  in  every  re- 
spect They  should  never  say,  a  word,  especially  m  the 
hearing  of  a  child  that  is  improper  How  natural  it  is  for 
women  to  talk  baby  talk  to  their  children ;  and  it  seems  just 
as  natural  for  the  men  to  do  so.  It  is  just  as  natural  for  me 
as  to  draw  my  breath  to  talk  nonsense  to  a  child  on  my  lap, 
and  yet  I  have  been  trying  to  break  myself  of  it  ever  since 
I  began  to  have  a  family  14.105 

Teach  Children  the  Gospel— If  we  do  not  take  the  pains 
to  train  our  children,  to  teach  and  instruct  them  concern- 
ing these  revealed  truths,  the  condemnation  will  be  upon 
us,  as  parents,  or  at  least  in  a  measure  19.92. 

Teach  your  children  from  their  youth,  never  to  set  their 
hearts  immoderately  upon  an  object  of  this  world.  3 .357. 

Bring  up  your  children  in  the  love  and  fear  of  the  Lord , 
study  their  dispositions  and  their  temperaments,  and  deal 
with  them  accordingly,  never  allowing  yourself  to  correct 
them  in  the  heat  of  passion ,  teach  them  to  love  you  rather 
than  to  fear  you,  and  let  it  be  your  constant  care  that  the 
children  that  God  has  so  kindly  given  you  are  taught  in 
their  early  youth  the  importance  of  the  oracles  of  God,  and 
the  beauty  of  the  principles  of  our  holy  religion,  that  when 
they  grow  to  the  years  of  man  and  womanhood  they  may 
always  cherish  a  tender  regard  for  them  and  never  forsake 
the  truth  I  do  not  wish  you  to  lay  the  stress  and  import- 


THE  FAMILY  321 

ance  upon  outward  ceremonies  that  many  do.  Parents, 
teach  your  children  by  precept  and  example,  the  importance 
of  addressing-  the  Throne  of  grace ;  teach  them  how  to  live, 
how  to  draw  from  the  elements  the  necessaries  of  life,  and 
teach  them  the  laws  ot  life  that  they  may  know  how  to  pre- 
serve themselves  in  health  and  be  able  to  minister  to  others. 
And  when  instructing  them  in  the  principles  of  the  Gospel, 
teach  them  that  they  are  true,  truth  sent  down  from  heaven 
for  our  salvation,  and  that  the  Gospel  incorporates  every 
truth  whether  in  heaven,  in  earth,  or  in  hell ,  and  teach  them, 
too,  that  we  hold  the  keys  of  eternal  life,  and  that  they  must 
obey  and  observe  the  ordinances  and  laws  pertaining  to  this 
holy  Priesthood,  which  God  has  revealed  and  restored  for 
the  exaltation  of  the  children  of  men  19*221. 

If  the  law  of  Christ  becomes  the  tradition  of  this  people, 
the  children  will  be  brought  up  according  to  the  law  of  the 
celestial  kingdom,  else  they  are  not  brought  up  in  the  way 
they  should  go.  3  327. 

Latter-day  Saints,  have  your  children  come  to  meeting 
Sisters,  let  your  little  girls  go  to  Sunday  school  or  come  to 
meeting!  Brethren,  let  your  children  go  to  Sunday  school, 
or  to  meeting,  and  advise  your  neighbors  to  do  the  same. 
14118 

In  the  morning,  it  is  true,  there  are  many  in  the  Sun- 
day school,  and  that  we  recommend;  but  in  the  afterpart 
of  the  day,  where  are  these  school  children?  Are  they 
playing  in  the  streets,  or  are  they  visiting?  In  going  to 
Sunday  school  they  have  done  their  duty  so  far;  but  they 
ought  to  be  here.  In  their  youth  they  ought  to  learn  the 
principles  and  doctrines  of  their  faith,  the  arguments  for 
truth,  and  the  advantages  of  truth.  15 :83- 

Teach  your  children  honesty  and  uprightness,  and  teach 


322  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

them  also  never  to  injure  others.  As  I  say  to  my  sisters 
sometimes,  "Look  here,  my  dear  sister,  if  your  child  quar- 
rels with  your  neighbor's  child,  do  not  chasten  your  neigh- 
bor's child  Go  and  make  peace,  be  a  peace-maker.  Teach 
your  child  never  to  do  a  wrong;  and  if  your  neighbor's 
child  has  injured  you  or  yours,  or  taken  anything  from  you, 
never  mind  You  stop  until  you  find  out.  Perhaps  the 
child  has  meant  no  wrong  You  should  learn  the  facts  in 
the  case,  and  go  with  a  meek,  humble,  quiet  spirit,  and  peace 
will  result,"  13,252. 

Parents  Should  Teach  by  Example :  If  parents  will  con- 
tinually set  before  their  children  examples  worthy  of  their 
imitation  and  the  approval  of  our  Father  in  Heaven,  they 
will  turn  the  current,  and  the  tide  of  feelings  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  they,  eventually,  will  desire  righteousness  more 
than  evil.  14*195. 

Let  the  father  and  mother,  who  are  members  of  this 
Church  and  Kingdom,  take  a  righteous  course,  and  strive 
with  all  their  might  never  to  do  a  wrong,  but  to  do  good  all 
their  lives ,  if  they  have  one  child  or  one  hundred  children, 
if  they  conduct  themselves  towards  them  as  they  should, 
binding  them  to  the  Lord  by  their  faith  and  prayers,  I  care 
not  where  those  children  go,  they  are  bound  up  to  their  par- 
ents by  an  everlasting  tie,  and  no  power  of  earth  or  hell 
can  separate  them  from  their  parents  in  eternity ;  they  will 
return  again  to  the  fountain  from  whence  they  sprang 
11  215. 

We  should  never  permit  ourselves  to  do  anything  that 
we  are  not  willing  to  see  our  children  do.  We  should  set 
them  an  example  that  we  wish  them  to  imitate.  Do  we 
realize  this ?  How  often  we  see  parents  demand  obedience, 
good  behavior,  kind  words,  pleasant  looks,  a  sweet  voice 


THE  FAMILY  323 

and  a  bright  eye  from  a  child  or  children  when  they  them- 
selves are  full  of  bitterness  and  scolding !  How  inconsist- 
ent and  unreasonable  this  is1  14-192, 

Parents  should  never  drive  their  children,  but  lead  them 
along,  giving  them  knowledge  as  their  minds  are  prepared 
to  receive  it  Chastening  may  be  necessary  betimes,  but 
parents  should  govern  their  children  by  faith  rather  than 
by  the  rod,  leading  them  kindly  by  good  example  into  all 
truth  and  holiness  12  174 

Our  children  will  have  the  love  of  the  truth,  if  we  but 
live  our  religion  Parents  should  take  that  course  that  their 
children  can  say,  "I  never  knew  my  father  to  deceive  or 
take  advantage  of  a  neighbor;  I  never  knew  my  father  to 
take  to  himself  that  which  did  not  belong  to  him,  never, 
never !  No,  but  he  said,  'Son,  or  daughter,  be  honest,  true, 
virtuous,  kind,  industrious,  prudent  and  full  of  good 
works7."  Such  teachings  from  parents  to  their  children 
will  abide  with  them  forever,  unless  they  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  some  few,  perhaps,  will  do  this  14  "195 

Guides  for  Child  Training— We  can  guide,  direct,  and 
prune  a  tender  sprout,  and  it  inclines  to  our  direction,  if  it 
is  wisely  and  skilfully  applied  So,  if  we  surround  a  child 
with  healthy  and  salutary  influences,  give  him  suitable  in- 
structions and  store  his  mind  with  truthful  traditions,  may 
be  that  will  direct  his  feet  in  the  way  of  life.  9 .248, 

A  child  loves  the  smiles  of  its  mother,  but  hates  her 
frowns.  I  tell  the  mothers  not  to  allow  the  children  to  in- 
dulge in  evils,  but  at  the  same  time  to  treat  them  with 
mildness.  If  a  child  is  required  to  step  in  a  certain  direc- 
tion, and  it  does  not  seem  willing  to  do  so,  gently  put  it  in 
the  desired  way,  and  say,  There,  my  little  dear,  you  must 
step  when  I  speak  to  you.  Children  need  directing  and 


324  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

teaching  what  is  right  in  a  kind,  affectionate  manner     8  74 

You  cannot  break  down  the  indomitable  will  of  the  hu- 
man family.  I  have  known  children  to  be  so  abused  and 
whipped  as  to  render  them  almost  or  entirely  worthless,  and 
still  the  indomitable  will  remained.  6  332. 

Now  understand  it — when  parents  whip  their  children 
for  reading  novels,  and  never  let  them  go  to  the  theater,  or 
to  any  place  of  recreation  and  amusement,  but  bind  them 
to  the  moral  law,  until  duty  becomes  loathsome  to  them , 
when  they  are  freed  by  age  from  the  rigorous  training  of 
their  parents,  they  are  more  fit  for  companions  to  devils, 
than  to  be  the  children  of  such  religious  parents.  2 .94. 

It  never  hurts  my  feelings  to  see  young  exuberant  life 
and  animation  manifest  themselves  Do  not  be  Discouraged 
about  the  follies  of  the  young.  7  -336 

You  see,  hear  and  witness  a  good  deal  of  contention 
among  children — some  of  you  do,  if  not  all— and  I  will  give 
you  a  few  words  with  regard  to  your  future  lives,  that  you 
may  have  children  that  are  not  contentious,  not  quarrel- 
some Always  be  good-natured  yourselves,  is  the  first  step 
Never  allow  yourselves  to  become  out  of  temper  and  get 
fretful  Why,  mother  says,  "this  is  a  very  mischievous  lit- 
tle boy  or  little  girl"  What  do  you  see?  That  amount  of 
vitality  in  those  little  children  that  they  cannot  be  still.  If 
they  cannot  do  anything  else  they  will  tip  over  the  chairs, 
cut  up  and  pull  away  at  anything  to  raise  a  row.  They  arc 
so  full  of  life  that  they  cannot  contain  themselves ,  and  they 
are  something  like  ourselves — boys  They  have  so  much 
vitality  in  them  that  their  bones  fairly  ache  with  strength. 
They  have  such  an  amount  of  vitality— life,  strength  and 
activity,  that  they  must  dispose  of  them;  and  the  young 
ones  will  contend  with  each  other.  Do  not  be  out  of  tern- 


THE  FAMILY  325 

per  yourselves     Always  sympathize  with  them  and  soothe 
them.    Be  mild  and  pleasant.    19.69. 

I  believe  in  indulging  children,  in  a  reasonable  way  If 
the  little  girls  want  dolls,  shall  they  have  them?  Yes.  But 
must  they  be  taken  to  the  dressmaker's  to  be  dressed''  No 
Let  the  girls  learn  to  cut  and  sew  the  clothing  for  their 
dolls,  and  m  a  few  years  they  will  know  how  to  make  a 
dress  for  themselves  and  others  Let  the  little  boys  have 
tools,  and  let  them  make  their  sleds,  little  wagons,  etc ,  and 
when  they  grow  up,  they  are  acquainted  with  the  use  of 
tools  and  can  build  a  carnage,  a  house,  or  anything  else. 
9173. 

Be  careful  of  the  clothing,  you  have.  Do  not  let  your 
children's  clothing  He  underfoot  when  you  undress  them 
at  night,  but  teach  your  boys  and  girls,  when  they  come 
into  the  house,  to  find  a  place  for  their  hats,  cloaks,  and 
bonnets,  that,  when  they  want  them,  they  can  put  their 
hands  upon  them  in  a  moment  When  they  take  off  their 
boots  and  shoes,  let  them  be  deposited  where  they  can  be 
found  in  the  dark,  that,,  if  the  children  are  obliged  to  get  up 
at  night,  perhaps  in  case  of  fire,  they  can  find  their  clothing, 
and  not  be  under  the  necessity  of  being  turned  out  naked 
If  a  person  can  put  his  hand  on  his  clothing,  he  can  dress 
lathe  dark.  9.172-3. 

What  did  you  promise  your  little  girl  if  she  would  do 
so  and  so?  Did  you  promise  her  a  present  for  well  doing? 
"Yes."  Have  you  recollected  it?  "No,  it  has  gone  from 
my  mind,"  says  the  mother.  If  she  does  ill  have  you  prom- 
ised her  a  chastisement ?  "Yes/'  Did  you  keep  your  word? 
You  have  not,  and  the  child  forms  the  conclusion  in  its  own 
mind  directly  that  the  mother  tells  that  which  is  not  true- 
she  says  she  will  do  this  or  that,  and  she  does  not  do  it.  It 


326  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGH^M  YOUNG 

is  an  easy  lesson  for  mothers  to  learn  to  pass  their  time 
with  their  children  and  nevei  give  them  a  ialse  impression 
Think  before  you  speak ,  promise  your  children  nothing1.  If 
you  wish  to  make  them  presents,  do  so ;  if  you  promise  a 
chastisement,  keep  your  word,  but  be  cautious!  13  244 

Mothers,  will  you  be  missionaries ?  We  will  appoint 
you  a  mission  to  teach  youi  children  their  duty,  and  in- 
stead of  ruffles  and  fine  dresses  to  adorn  the  body,  teach 
them  that  which  will  adorn  their  minds.  Let  what  you 
have  to  clothe  them  with  be  neat  and  clean  and  nice  '  Teach 
them  cleanness  and  purity  of  body  and  the  principles  of  sal- 
vation, and  they  will  delight  to  come  to  these  meetings 
14220 

I  delight  to  see  the  mother  teach  her  daughters  to  be 
housekeepers,  to  be  particular,  clean,  and  neat,  to  sew,  spin, 
and  weave;  to  make  butter  and  cheese;  and  I  have  no  ob- 
jection to  their  learning  to  cultivate  flowers,  herbs,  and  use- 
ful shrubs  in  the  gardens.  It  is  good  for  their  health  to 
rise  early  in  the  morning  and  work  in  the  soil  an  hour  or 
two  before  breakfast,  this  practice  is  especially  beneficial  to 
those  who  have  weak  lungs  And  while  you  delight  in 
raising  flowers,  etc ,  do  not  neglect  to  learn  how  to  take 
care  of  the  cream,  and  how  to  make  of  it  good  wholesome 
butter,  and  of  the  milk  good  healthy  nutritious  cheese, 
neither  forget  your  sewing,  spinning,  and  weaving,  and  I 
would  not  have  them  neglect  to  learn  music  and  would 
encourage  them  to  read  history  and  the  Scriptures,  to  take 
up  a  newspaper,  geography,  and  other  publications,  and 
make  themselves  acquainted  with  the  manners  and  custom? 
of  distant  kingdoms  and  nations,  with  their  laws,  religion, 
geographical  location  on  the  face  of  the  world,  their  climate, 
natural  productions,  the  extent  of  their  commerce,  and  the 


THE  FAMILY  327 

nature  of  then  political  organization;  in  fine,  let  our  boys 
and  girls  be  thoroughly  instructed  m  every  useful  branch 
of  physical  and  mental  education  Let  this  education  begin 
early  Teach  little  children  the  principles  of  order ;  the  lit- 
tle girl  to  put  the  broom  in  its  right  place,  to  arrange  the 
stove  furniture  m  the  neatest  possible  way,  and  everything 
in  its  own  place  Teach  them  to  lay  away  their  clothing 
neatly,  and  where  it  can  be  found ;  and  when  they  tear  their 
frocks  and  aprons  teach  them  how  to  mend  the  rent  so 
neatly  that  the  place  cannot  be  seen  at  a  short  distance, 
and  instead  of  asking  your  husbands  to  buy  them  ribbons 
and  frills,  teach  them  to  make  them  of  the  material  we  can 
produce.  Teach  the  little  boys  to  lay  away  the  garden  hoe, 
the  spade,  etc ,  where  they  will  not  be  destroyed  by  rust ; 
and  let  them  have  access  to  tools  that  they  may  learn  their 
use,  and  develop  their  mechanical  skill  while  young;  and 
see  that  they  gather  up  the  tools  when  they  have  done  with 
them,  and  deposit  them  in  the  proper  place  Let  both  males 
and  females  encourage  within  them  mechanical  ing'enuity, 
and  seek  constantly  to  understand  the  world  they  are  in, 
and  what  use  to  make  of  their  existence,  9 .188-189 

I  would  like  to  see  the  time  when  our  sisters  will  take 
more  pains  to  beautify  their  children.  When  your  children 
arise  in  the  morning,  instead  of  sending  them  out  of  doors 
to  wash  in  cold,  hard  water,  with  a  little  soft  soap,  and 
wiping  them  as  though  you  would  tear  the  skin  of!  them, 
creating  roughness  and  darkness  of  skin,  take  a  piece  of 
soft  flannel,  and  wipe  the  faces  of  your  children  smooth 
and  nice,  dry  them  with  a  soft  cloth;  and  instead  of  giving 
them  pork  for  their  breakfast,  give  them  good  wholesome 
bread  and  sweet  milk,  baked  potatoes  and  also  buttermilk 
if  they  like  it,  and  a  little  fruit,  and  I  would  have  no  ob- 


328  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

jections  to  their  eating  a  little  rice.  Rice  is  an  excellent 
food  for  children,  and  I  wish  some  of  the  brethren  would 
cultivate  it  in  these  valleys.  Upland  rice  will  flourish  in 
this  country.  Train  up  your  children  to  be  beautiful  and 
fair,  instead  of  neglecting  them  until  they  are  sunburned 
and  become  like  the  natives  of  our  mountains.  12.201. 

Need  of  Parent  Training — You  should  go  to  work  to 
study  and  see  what  you  can  do  for  the  recovery  of  your 
children  If  a  child  is  taken  sick  with  fever,  give  it  some- 
thing to  stay  that  fever  or  relieve  that  stomach  and  bowels, 
so  that  mortification  may  not  set  in  Treat  the  child  with 
prudence  and  care,  with  faith  and  patience,  and  be  careful 
in  not  overcharging  it  with  medicine  If  you  take  too  much 
medicine  into  the  system,  it  is  worse  than  too  much  food. 
But  you  will  always  find  that  an  ounce  of  preventive  is 
worth  a  pound  of  cure.  Study  and  learn  something  for 
yourselves  It  is  the  privilege  of  a  mother  to  have  faith 
and  to  administer  to  her  child;  this  she  can  do  herself,  as 
well  as  sending  for  the  Elders  to  have  the  benefit  of  their* 
faith.  13 :155. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
SOME  WOMANLY  DUTIES 

The  Housewife — I  am  addressing  myself  to  the  ladies  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  to  those  who  know  how  to  keep  their 
houses,  furniture  and  beds  pure  and  clean,  who  can  cook 
food  for  their  husbands,  and  children  in  a  way  that  it  will 
be  clean,  tasteful  and  wholesome.  The  woman  that  can 
do  this  I  call  a  lady  In  this  view  I  differ  from  the  world 
generally;  for  the  lady  of  the  world  is  not  supposed  to  know 
anything  about  what  is  going  on  m  the  kitchen ;  her  highest 
ambition  is  to  be  sure  and  be  in  the  fashion,  at  no  matter 
what  cost  to  her  husband  or  father;  she  considers  that  she 
may  as  well  be  out  of  the  world  as  out  of  the  fashion. 
11:138. 

A  good  housewife,  whether  she  possesses  much  or  little, 
will  have  a  place  for  everything  she  has  in  the  house,  and 
make  her  house  orderly  and  comfortable,  and  everything 
when  wanted  can  be  found  in  its  place.  9:157. 

If  I  had  nothing  but  a  piece  of  an  old  newspaper  folded 
for  a  holder  I  would  have  it  where  I  could  put  my  hand 
on  it  in  a  moment,  in  the  dark  if  I  wanted  it  And  so 
with  the  dishcloth,  the  broom,  the  chairs,  tables,  sofas,  and 
everything  about  the  house,  so  that  if  you  had  to  get  up  in 
the  night  you  could  lay  your  hand  on  whatever  you  wanted 
instantly.  Have  a  place  for  everything  and  everything  in 
its  place.  14:89. 

When  I  go  into  a  house,  I  can  soon  know  whether  the 
woman  is  an  economical  housekeeper  or  not;  and  if  I  stay 
a  few  days,  I  can  tell  whether  a  husband  can  get  rich  or  not. 
If  she  is  determined  on  her  own  course,  and*  will  waste  and 


330  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

spoil  the  food  entrusted  to  her,  that  man  will  always  be 
poor.  4:313. 

It  is  an  old  saying  that  a  woman  can  throw  out  of  the 
window  with  a  spoon  as  fast  as  a  man  can  throw  into  the 
door  with  a  shovel ,  but  a  good  house-keeper  will  be  saving 
and  economical  and  teach  her  children  to  be  good  house- 
keepers, and  how  to  take  care  of  everything  that  is  put  in 
their  charge.  12.195. 

Ladies,  if  you  are  the  means  of  plunging  this  whole 
people  into  debt  so  as  to  distress  them,  will  there  be  any- 
thing required  of  you?  I  think  there  will,  for  you  will  be 
judged  according  to  your  works.  Are  not  the  men  as  ex- 
travagant as  the  women  ?  Yes,  certainly  they  are,  and  just 
as  foolish.  I  could  point  out  instances  by  the  score  and  by 
the  hundred  of  men  who  are  just  as  unwise,  shortsighted, 
and  foolish  as  the  women  can  be;  but  a  condemnation  of  the 
male  portion  of  the  community  will  not  justify  the  female 
portion  of  it  14-105. 

Now,  sisters,  if  you  will  consider  these  things  you  will 
readily  see  that  time  is  all  the  capital  stock  there  is  on  the 
earth,  and  you  should  consider  your  time  golden,  it  is  actu- 
ally wealth,  and,  if  properly  used,  it  brings  that  which  will 
add  to  yotir  comfort,  convenience,  and  satisfaction.  Let 
us  consider  this,  and  no  longer  sit  with  hands  folded,  wast- 
ing time,  for  it  is  the  duty  of  every  man  and  of  every  woman 
to  do  all  that  is  possible  to  promote  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  the  earth.  18 :77. 

If  there  are  women  who  want  to  do  good,  let  them  do 
their  own  work,  and  save  their  sixpences  and  dollars  for 
the  building  of  temples,  tabernacles,  meeting-houses, 
school-houses,  educating  the  youth,  preaching  the  Gospel, 
and  gathering  the  poor  11-351. 


SOME   WOMANLY  DUTIES  331 

What  I  say  of  housewives  will  fully  apply  to  farmers 
and  mechanics  I  labored  many  years  as  a  mechanic,  and 
in  the  darkest  night  I  could  put  my  hand  upon  any  tool  I 
used.  You  may  call  this  boasting,  but  it  is  not  It  is  merely 
mentioning  the  order  m  which  I  kept  my  shop  8  296 

Count  the  steps  that  a  woman  takes  when  she  is  doing 
her  work,  let  them  be  measured,  and  it  will  be  found  that 
in  many  instances  she  had  taken  steps  enough  to  have  trav- 
eled from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  a  day,  I  will  warrant  this 
to  be  the  case,  4:101. 

Woman's  Fashions — Beauty  must  be  sought  in  the  ex- 
pression of  the  countenance,  combined  with  neatness  and 
cleanliness  and  graceful  manners  18-75. 

Anything  is  ridiculous,  more  or  less,  that  is  not  comely 
14:17. 

Let  the  beauty  of  your  adorning  be  the  work  of  your 
hands  1975. 

I  love  to  see  the  human  form  and  the  human  face 
adorned,  but  let  our  adorning  be  the  workmanship  of  our 
hands,  from  the  elements  with  which  we  are  constantly 
surrounded  I  love  beauty  whether  adorned  or  unadorned 
I  love  chaste  and  refined  manners,  especially  when  they  are 
founded  upon  virtue.  10:6. 

In  the  works  of  God,  you  see  an  eternal  variety,  con- 
sequently we  do  not  ask  the  people  to  become  Quakers,  and 
all  the  men  wear  wide-brimmed  hats,  and  the  ladies  wear 
drab  or  cream-colored  silk  bonnets  projecting  in  the  front, 
perhaps  six  or  seven  inches,  rounded  on  the  corners,  with 
a  cape  behind.  14*17. 

The  daughters  of  Israel  should  understand  what  fash- 
ions they  should  have,  without  borrowing  from  the  impure 
and  unrighteous.  12:220. 


332  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Create  your  own  fashions,  and  make  your  clothing  to 
please  yourselves,  independent  of  outside  influences;  and 
make  your  hats  and  bonnets  to  shade  you,  I  wish  you,  sis- 
ters, to  listen  to  these  counsels,  and  place  yourselves  in  a 
condition  to  administer  to  the  poor  Get  your  husbands  to 
provide  you  with  a  little  of  this  and  a  little  of  that  of  which 
you  can  make  something  by  adding  your  own  labor,  I  do 
not  mean  that  you  shall  apply  to  them  for  five  dollars  and 
ten  dollars  to  spend  for  that  which  is  of  no  profit,  but  manu- 
facture something  that  will  be  useful  as  well  as  beautiful 
and  comely.  12-202. 

Not  flaunting,  flirting  and  gossiping,  as  a  great  many 
are,  and  thinking  continually  of  their  dresses,  and  of  this 
that  and  the  other  that  will  minister  to  and  gratify  their 
vanity.  Such  women  seldom  think  of  their  prayers  15  162 

I  am  ashamed  to  see  the  tight  clothes — to  see  the  shape 
of  the  ladies.  19,75. 

Ask  your  mothers,  then,  to  make  your  clothes  suitable 
and  becoming,  and  keep  your  hair  smooth  and  nice.  The 
hair  is  given  to  the  female  for  adornment,  and  therefore  let 
the  ladies,  young  and  old,  adom  their  heads  with  their  hair 
Mothers  should  study  and  childien  should  study  to  preserve 
the  skin  of  the  children  from  being  ruined  by  dirt,  and  the 
heat  of  a  scorching  sun,  and  to  keep  themselves  clean  and 
pure.  19:65 

If  I  wete  a  lady  and  had  a  piece  of  cloth  to  make  me 
a  dress,  I  would  cut  it  so  as  to  cover  my  person  handsomely 
and  neatly,  and  whether  it  was  cut  according  to  the  fashion 
or  not,  custom  would  soon  make  it  beautiful.  15 :38. 

It  adds  no  beauty  to  a  lady,  m  my  opinion,  to  adorn 
her  with  fine  feathers.  When  I  look  at  a  woman,  I  look  at 
her  face,  which  is  composed  of  her  forehead,  cheeks,  nose, 


SOME  WOMANLY  DU1IES  333 

mouth  and  chin,  and  I  like  to  see  it  clean,  her  hair  combed 
neat  and  nice,  and  her  eyes  bright  and  sparkling;  and  if 
they  are  so,  what  do  I  care  what  she  has  on  her  head,  or 
how  or  of  what  material  her  dress  is  made?  Not  the  least 
m  the  world.  18  74 

The  Lord  instructs  us  in  a  re\  elation,  to  let  our  cloth- 
ing be  plain.  "Let  all  thy  garments  be  plain,  and  their 
beauty  the  beauty  of  the  work  of  thine  own  hands/'  He 
never  said  to  us,  "Do  not  make  a  silk  or  satin  ribbon,  or 
fine  broadcloth,"  but  he  has  said  to  us,  "Make  the  articles 
of  clothing  that  you  wear,"  if  we  do  not,  we  shall  find  by 
and  by  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  get  them  10  311. 

Let  the  sisters  take  care  of  themselves,  and  make  them- 
selves beautiful,  and  if  any  of  you  are  so  superstitious  and 
ignorant  as  to  say  that  this  is  pride,  I  can  say  that  you  are 
not  informed  as  to  the  pride  which  is  sinful  before  the 
Lord,  you  are  also  ignorant  as  to  the  excellency  of  the 
heavens,  and  of  the  beauty  which  dwells  in  the  society  of 
the  Gods,  Were  you  tp  see  an  angel,  you  would  see  a 
beautiful  and  lovely  creature.  Make  yourselves  like  angels 
in  goodness  and  beauty.  Let  the  mothers  m  Israel  make 
their  sons  and  daughters  healthy  and  beautiful,  by  cleanli- 
ness and  a  proper  diet.  Whether  you  have  much  or  little 
clothing  for  your  children,  it  can  be  kept  clean  and  healthy, 
and  be  made  to  fit  their  persons  neatly.  Make  your  chil- 
dren lovely  and  fair  that  you  may  delight  in  them  Cease 
to  send  out  your  children  to  herd  sheep  with  their  skins 
exposed  to  the  hot  sun,  until  their  hands  and  faces  appear 
as  though  they  lived  in  an  ash  heap.  I  call  upon  my  sis- 
ters to  lead  out  in  these  things.  12 .201. 

It  is  a  disgrace  to  a  community  to  drag  their  cloth  in 
the  dirt  How  many  women  are  there  here  today  who 


334  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

walked  to  this  Tabernacle  without  throwing  dirt  every  step 
th$y  took,  not  only  on  themselves  but  upon  those  who 
walked  near  them  ?  I  shun  them ,  when  I  see  them  coming 
I  try  to  make  my  way  in  some  other  direction  in  order  to 
avoid  their  dust.  I  can  get  enough  of  it  without  receiving 
it  from  them  If  there  is  a  nuisance  in  the  path,  they  are 
sure  to  wipe  up  a  portion  of  it  with  their  dress,  and  then 
trail  it  on  to  their  carpet  or  into  the  bedrooms  and  distrib- 
ute it  through  the  house. 

On  the  other  hand  I  will  say,  ladies,  if  we  ask  you  to 
make  your  dresses  a  little  shorter,  do  not  be  extiavagant 
and  cut  them  so  short  that  we  can  see  the  tops  of  your 
stockings.  Bring  them  down  to  the  top  of  your  shoes,  and 
have  them  so  that  you  can  walk  and  clear  the  dust,  and  do 
not  expose  your  persons.  Have  your  dresses  neat  and 
comely,  and  conduct  yourselves,  in  the  strictest  sense  of 
the  word,  in  chastity.  12 :299. 

If  my  mother  and  her  grandmother  got  one  silk  dress, 
and  they  lived  to  a  hundred  years  old,  it  was  all  that  they 
wanted.  I  think  my  grandmother's  silk  dress  came  down 
to  her  children.  She  put  her  silk  dress  on  when  I  went  to 
see  her.  It  was,  I  think,  her  wedding  dress,  and  she  had 
been  married  some  seventy  years.  19  74 

That  which  is  convenient  should  be  beautiful     15  38. 

As  for  fashion,  it  does  not  trouble  me,  my  fashion  is 
convenience  and  comfort  14-21. 

Some  Duties  of  the  Relief  Societies— These  societies  are 
for  the  improvement  of  our  manners,  our  dress,  our  habits, 
and  our  methods  of  living,  19,68 

The  sisters  in  our  Female  Relief  Societies  have  done 
great  good.  Can  you  tell  the  amount  of  good  that  the 
mothers  and  daughters  in  Israel  are  capable  of  doing-?  No, 


SOME  WOMANLY  DUTIES  335 

it  is  impossible.  And  the  good  they  do  will  follow  them 
to  all  eternity.  13  -34. 

As  I  have  often  told  my  sisters  in  the  Female  Relief 
Societies,  we  have  sisters  here  who,  if  they  had  the  priv- 
ilege of  studying,  would  make  just  as  good  mathemati- 
cians or  accountants  as  any  man  j  and  we  think  they  ought 
to  have  the  privilege  to  study  these  branches  of  knowledge 
that  they  may  develop  the  powers  with  which  they  are  en- 
dowed We  believe  that  women  are  useful,  not  only  to 
sweep  houses,  wash  dishes,  make  beds,  and  raise  babies, 
but  that  they  should  stand  behind  the  counter,  study  law 
,or  physic,  or  become  good  bookkeepers  and  be  able  to  do 
the  business  in  any  counting  house,  and  all  this  to  enlarge 
their  sphere  of  usefulness  for  the  benefit  of  society  at  large 
In  following  these  things  they  but  answer  the  design  of 
their  creation.  13  61. 

Now,  ladies,  go  to  and  organize  yourselves  into  indus- 
trial societies,  and  get  your  husbands  to  produce  you  some 
straw,  and  commence  bonnet  and  hat  making.  If  every 
Ward  would  commence  and  continue  this  and  other  indus- 
trial pursuits,  it  would  not  be  long  before  the  females  of 
the  Wards  of  our  Territory  would  have  stores  in  their 
Wards,  and  means  sufficient  to  send  and  get  the  articles 
which  they  need,  that  cannot  yet  be  manufactured  here  and 
which  they  may  want  to  distribute.  12:195. 

When  the  sisters,  for  instance,  meet  together  at  a  quilt- 
ing or  for  a  visit,  if  every  one  speaks,  believes  and  loves  the 
truth,  and  there  is  nothing  in  them  that  is  deceptive,  how 
easy  it  is  to  converse  and  pass  the  time!  We  all  delight 
in  the  truth ;  and  if  a  wrong,  or  that  which  is  false,  is  mani- 
fested it  must  be  corrected  or  banished,  and  truth  be 
adopted  in  the  place  thereof  Ittis  the  easiest  life  to  lead 


336  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

on  the  face  of  the  earth.  How  do  I  know  it?  By  experi- 
ence ,  I  never  tried  the  opposite  much  14  76. 

I  will  here  say  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  if  you  will  feed 
the  poor  with  a  willing  heart  and  ready  hand,  neither  you, 
nor  your  children,  will  ever  be  found  begging  bread  In 
these  things  the  people  are  right,  they  are  right  in  estab- 
lishing Female  Relief  Societies,  that  the  hearts  of  the  widow 
and  the  orphan  may  be  made  glad  by  the  blessings  which 
are  so  abundantly  and  so  freely  poured  out  upon  them 
12  171. 

Sisters,  do  you  see  any  children  around  your  neighbor- 
hood poorly  clad  and  without  shoes?  If  you  do,  I  say  to 
you,  Female  Relief  Societies,  pick  up  these  children  and 
relieve  their  necessities,  and  send  them  to  school  And  if 
you  see  any  young,  middle-aged  or  old  ladies  in  need  find 
them  something  to  do  that  will  enable  them  to  sustain  them- 
selves ;  but  don't  relieve  the  idle,  for  relieving  those  who 
are  able  but  unwilling  to  work  is  ruinous  to  any  community. 
The  time  we  spend  here  is  our  life,  our  substance,  our  cap- 
ital, our  fortune,  and  that  time  should  be  used  profitably 
Take  these  old  ladies,  there  are  a  great  many  of  them 
around  rather  poor,  and  give  them  something  to  do;  that 
is  their  delight  You  will  hardly  find  an  old  lady  in  the 
community  who  has  not  been  brought  up  to  work;  and 
they  would  rather  knit  stockings  or  do  some  other  useful 
labor  than  eat  the  bread  of  charity.  Relieve  the  wants  of 
every  individual  in  need  in  your  neighborhoods  This  is 
in  the  capacity  and  in  the  power  of  the  Female  Relief  So- 
cieties  when  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  the  Bishops.  14  107. 

I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  our  sisters  to  our  "Relief 
Societies.  We  are  happy  to  say  that  many  of  them  have 
done  a  great  deal  We  wish  them  to  continue  and  progress 


SOME  WOMANLY  DUTIES  337 

In  our  Relief  Societies  we  wish  to  introduce  many  improve- 
ments. We  wish  our  sisters  of  experience  to  teach  the 
young  girls  not  to  be  so  anxious  for  the  gratification  of 
their  imaginary  wants,  but  to  confine  themselves  more  to 
their  real  necessities.  Fancy  has  no  bounds,  and  I  often 
think  it  is  without  form  and  comeliness.  We  are  too  apt 
to  give  way  to  the  imagination  of  our  hearts,  but  if  we  will 
be  guided  by  wisdom,  our  judgment  will  be  corrected,  and 
we  will  find  that  we  can  improve  very  much.  We  can 
improve  the  language  we  use.  12 :298. 

The  ladies  can  learn  to  keep  books  as  well  as  the  men; 
we  have  some  few,  already,  who  are  just  as  good  account- 
ants as  any  of  our  brethren  Why  not  teach  more  of  them 
to  keep  books  and  sell  goods,  and  let  them  do  this  business, 
and  let  the  men  go  to  raising  sheep,  wheat,  or  cattle,  or  go 
and  do  something  or  other  to  beautify  the  earth  and  help 
to  make  it  like  the  Garden  of  Eden,  instead  of  spending 
their  time  in  a  lazy,  loafing  manner?  12-374-5. 

I  have  a  short  sermon  for  my  sisters.  I  wish  you,  un- 
der the  direction  of  your  Bishops  and  wise  men,  to  estab- 
lish your  Relief  Societies,  and  organize  yourselves  under 
the  direction  of  the  brethren,  and  establish  yourselves  for 
doing  business,  gathering  up  your  little  amounts  of  means 
that  would  otherwise  go  to  waste,  and  put  them  to  usury, 
and  make  more  of  them,  and  thus  keep  gathering  in.  Let 
this  be  commenced  forthwith.  12-201. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
OBEDIENCE 

Counsel — How  my  heart  longs  to  see  the  brethren  and 
sisters  in  a  condition  that  when  the  words  of  truth  and 
virtue — righteous  words  of  counsel — are  poured  upon  them, 
they  will  meet  like  drops  of  water  meeting  each  other. 
How  I  long  to  see  the  brethren,  when  they  hear  the  words 
of  truth  poured  upon  them,  ready  to  receive  those  words 
because  they  are  perfectly  congenial  to  their  feelings,  and 
every  soul  exclaim,  "Those  words  savor  of  the  Spirit  that 
is  in  me;  they  are  my  delight,  my  meat,  and  my  drink; 
they  are  the*streams  of  eternal  life.  How  congenial  they 
are,  instead  of  their  being  contrary  to  my  feelings."  9 :3. 

If  we  hearken  to  counsel,  we  shall  be  the  best  people  in 
the  world;  we  shall  be  as  a  bright  light  set  upon  a  hill,  that 
cannot  be  hid,  or  like  a  candle  upon  a  candlestick.  12 :173. 

If  I  or  any  other  man  give  counsel  that  meets  with 
opposition,  that  intrudes  upon  the  affections,  meditations, 
and  feelings  of  the  people,  and  is  harsh  to  their  ears,  bitter 
to  their  souls,  it  is  either  not  the  words  of  truth,  or  they 
have  not  the  fountain  of  life  within  them,  one  of  the  two. 
If  the  Lord  speaks  from  the  heavens,  reveals  his  will,  and 
it  comes  in  contact  with  our  feelings  and  notions  of  things, 
or  with  our  judgments,  we  are  destitute  of  that  fountain 
of  truth  which  we  should  possess.  If  our  hearts  are  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  truth,  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  no 
matter  what  the  true  words  from  heaven  are,  when  God 
speaks,  all  his  subjects  should  shout,  "Hallelujah!  praise, 
God!  We  are  ready  to  receive  those  words,  for  they  are 
true."  9:3-4. 


OBEDIENCE  339 

Every  man  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  would  give  the  same 
counsel  upon  each  subject,  if  he  would  wait  until  he  had 
the  mind  of  Christ  upon  it  Then  all  would  hare  one  word 
and  mind,  and  all  men  would  sec  eye  to  eye.  5 .100. 

If  you  would  always  pause  and  say,  I  have  no  counsel 
for  you,  I  have  no  answer  for  you  on  this  subject,  because 
I  have  no  manifestation  of  the  Spmt7  and  be  willing  to  let 
everybody  m  the  world  know  that  you  are  ignorant  when 
you  are,  you  would  become  wise  a  great  deal  quicker  than 
to  give  counsel  on  your  own  judgment,  without  the  Spirit 
of  revelation  5:100. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  who  hearken  to  the  words  of  the 
Lord,  given  to  them  touching  their  political,  social,  and  fi- 
nancial concerns,  I  say,  and  say  it  boldly,  that  they  will 
have  wisdom  which  is  altogether  superior  to  the  wisdom  of 
the  children  of  darkness,  or  the  children  of  this  world  I 
know  this  by  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
by  the  results  of  my  own  actions.  They  who  have  heark- 
ened to  the  counsels  given  to  them  m  temporal  matters, 
have  invariably  bettered  their  condition  temporally  and 
spiritually  12:118. 

Obedience — When  the  Lord  commands  the  people,  let 
them  obey.  2-123. 

Every  son  and  daughter  of  God  is  expected  to  obey  with 
a  willing  heart  every  word  which  the  Lord  has  spoken, 
and  \vhich  he  will  in  the  future  speak  to  us  It  is  expected 
that  we  hearken  to  the  revelations  of  his  will,  and  adhere 
to  them,  cleave  to  them  with  all  our  might ;  for  this  is  sal- 
\  ation,  and  any  thing  short  of  this  clips  the  salvation  and 
the  glory  of  the  Samts.  2-2. 

Obedience  is  one  of  the  plainest,  most  every-day  and 
home  principles  that  you  ever  thought  or  know  anything 


340  DISCOURSES  OP  BRJGHAM  YOUNG 

about  In  the  first  place,  learn  that  you  have  a  father,  and 
then  learn  strict  obedience  to  that  parent  Is  not  that  a 
plain,  domestic,  home  principle ?  6-173. 

I  cannot  save  you.  I  can  tell  you  how  to  save  your- 
selves, but  you  must  do  the  will  of  God.  10 .317 

How  shall  we  know  what  to  do?  By  being  obedient  to 
every  requirement  of  the  Gospel  8  148. 

A  mere  theory  amounts  to  but  little,  while  practice  and 
obedience  have  to  do  with  stern  realities  9 :330 

Every  good  and  wholesome  law  we  should  obey  strictly, 
and  do  it  with  a  good  and  honest  heart  11 .134. 

Blessed  are  they  who  obey  when  the  Lord  gives  a  direct 
commandment,  but  more  blessed  are  they  who  obey  with- 
out a  direct  commandment  12:128 

Do  you  think  that  people  will  obey  the  truth  because 
it  is  true,  unless  they  love  it?  No,  they  will  not.  Truth  is 
obeyed  when  it  is  loved  Strict  obedience  to  the  truth  will 
alone  enable  people  to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  Al- 
mighty. 7 .55 

The  Lord  has  sent  forth  his  laws,  commandments,  and 
ordinances  to  the  children  of  men,  and  requires  them  to  be 
strictly  obeyed,  and  we  do  not  wish  to  transgress  those 
laws,  but  to  keep  them  We  do  not  wish  to  change  his  or- 
dinances, but  to  observe  them ;  we  do  not  wish  to  break  the 
everlasting  covenant,  but  to  keep  that  with  our  fathers, 
with  Jesus,  with  our  Father  in  Heaven,  with  holy  angels, 
and  to  live  according  to  them.  16:31. 

If  a  man  is  called  to  go  and  labor  for  the  poor,  if  his 
Bishop  calls  upon  him  to  go  into  the  canyon  after  a  load 
of  wood  for  the  poor,  and  he  goes  there,  with  his  heart  up- 
lifted to  God,  and  with  his  eye  single  to  the  building  up  of 
the  Kingdom,  and  gets  the  load  of  wood  and  lays  it  at  the 


OBEDIENCE  341 

door  of  the  Bishop  for  the  poor,  for  the  widow  or  for  those 
who  cannot  help  themselves,  he  is  just  as  much  in  the  line 
of  his  duty  in  so  doing  as  though  he  were  on  his  knees 
praying  11  '293 

This  people  have  got  to  become  of  one  heart  and  one 
mind  They  have  to  know  the  will  of  God  and  do  it,  for 
to  know  the  will  of  God  is  one  thing,  and  to  bring  our 
wills,  our  dispositions,  into  subjection  to  that  which  we 
do  understand  to  be  the  will  of  God  is  another  3  54-5 

We  believe  in  obeying  the  laws  of  the  land,  we  should 
also  obey  the  laws  of  God  16  -45 

Some  of  you  may  ask,  "Is  there  a  single  ordinance  to 
be  dispensed  with?  Is  there  one  of  the  commandments 
that  God  has  enjoined  upon  the  people,  that  he  will  excuse 
them  from  obeying?"  Not  one,  no  matter  how  trifling  or 
small  in  our  own  estimation  No  matter  if  we  esteem  them 
non-essential,  or  least  or  last  of  all  the  commandments  of 
the  house  of  God,  we  are  under  obligation  to  observe  them 
8339 

With  regard  to  the  obedience  of  heavenly  beings,  to 
which  reference  has  been  made  to-day .  they  live  pure  and 
holy,  and  they  have  attained  unto  this  power  through  suf- 
fering Many  of  them  have  drunk  of  the  bitter  cup  even 
to  the  dregs.  They  have  learned  that  righteousness  will 
prevail,  that  truth  is  the  foundation  of  their  very  existence 
11-15 

The  most  effectual  way  to  establish  the  religion  of 
Heaven  is  to  live  it,  rather  than  to  die  for  it :  I  think  1  am 
safe  in  saying  that  there  are  many  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
who  are  more  willing  to  die  for  their  religion  than  to  live 
it  faithfully.  There  is  no  other  proof  can  be  adduced  to 
God,  angels,  and  men,  that  a  people  faithfully  live  their 


342  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

religion,  than  that  they  repent  truly  of  their  sins,  obey 
the  law  of  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  then  con- 
tinue to  do  the  works  of  righteousness  day  by  day,  9.333 

There  are  a  great  many  texts  which  might  be  used,  very 
comprehensive  and  full  of  meaning,  but  I  know  of  none, 
either  in  the  Old  or  New  Testament,  more  so  than  that 
saying,  said  to  ha\e  been  made  by  the  Savior,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  it  was,  "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments." 

1  How  long?  For  a  day^  Keep  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord  for  a  week?  Observe  and  do  his  will  for  a  month 
or  a  year?  There  is  no  promise  to  any  individual,  that  I 
have  any  knowledge  of,  that  he  shall  receive  the  reward  of 
the  just,  unless  he  is  faithful  to  the  end  If  we  fully  un- 
derstand and  faithfully  carry  out  m  our  lives  the  saying  of 
Jesus,  "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments,"  we  shall 
be  prepared  to  go  back  and  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son. 

What  are  his  commandments?  Did  he  ever  teach  the 
people  an}  thing  that  is  wrong?  If  we  read  the  require- 
ments made  by  Jesus,  by  the  Father,  or  by  any  messenger 
sent  from  the  heavens  to  the  children  of  men,  we  shall  find 
nothing  that  will  injure  any  human  being  or  that  will 
destroy  the  soul  of  one  of  the  sons  or  daughters  of  Adam 
and  Eve  Many  think  that  the  sayings  and  doings  of  some 
of  the  prophets  and  servants  of  God,  in  ancient  and  mod- 
ern times,  said  and  done  in  obedience  to  the  commands 
of  the  Lord  Almighty,  tend  to  evil;  but  it  is  not  so  All 
God's  requirements  tend  to  do  good  to  his  children.  Any 
notion  to  the  contrary  is  the  result  of  ignorance  The 
human  family  are  enveloped  in  ignorance,  so  far  as  the 
origin  and  object  of  their  existence  here  is  concerned.  Their 
ignorance,  superstition,  darkness  and  blindness  are  very 


OBEDIENCE  343 

apparent  to  all  who  are  in  the  least  enlightened  by  the 
Spirit  of  truth.  They  seek  to  hide  themselves  in  ignorance 
and  blindness  rather  than  learn  who  they  are  and  the  ob- 
ject of  their  being  here  What  do  the  human  family  know 
of  God  or  Jesus,  or  of  the  words  which  I  have  quoted  "If 
ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments ?5f  "Search  the  Scrip- 
tures, for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,"  says 
Jesus,  "and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  They 
testify  of  the  Savior,  of  his  doctrines  and  requirements,  and 
of  the  ordinances  of  his  house;  the  plan  of  salvation  is  there 
portrayed,  and  any  person  who  follows  its  dictation  may 
redeem  himself  from  the  thraldom  of  sin,  and  know,  by  the 
Spirit,  that  Jestis  is  the  Christ  All  who  will  take  this 
course  will  know  by  revelation  that  God  is  our  Father ,  they 
will  understand  the  relationship  they  hold  to  him  and  to 
their  fellow-beings  The  world  may  in  vain  ask  the  ques- 
tion, "Who  are  we?"  But  the  Gospel  tells  us  that  we  are 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  that  God  whom  we  serve.  Some 
say,  "We  are  the  children  of  Adam  and  Eve  "  So  we  are, 
and  they  are  the  children  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  We  are 
all  the  children  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  they  are  the  off- 
spring of  him  who  dwells  in  the  heavens,  the  highest  In- 
telligence 0that  dwells  anywhere  that  we  have  any  knowl- 
edge of  Here  we  find  ourselves,  and  when  infants,  the 
most  helpless,  and  needing  the  most  care  and  attention  of 
any  creatures  that  come  into  being  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Here  we  find  in  ourselves  the  germ  and  the  foundation,  the 
embryo  of  exaltation,  glory,  immortality  and  eternal  lives. 
As  we  grow  up  we  receive  strength,  knowledge  and  wis- 
dom, some  more  and  some  less;  but  only  by  keeping  the 
commands  of  the  Lord  Jesus  can  we  have  the  privilege  of 


344  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

knowing  the  things  pertaining  to  eternity  and  our  rela- 
tionship to  the  heavens.  13 :310 

The  most  excellent  human  or  divine  laws  are  of  no  use 
to  earthly  or  heavenly  beings,  unless  they  are  faithfully 
obsened  Law  is  for  the  protection  of  the  law-abider;  and 
the  penalty  of  the  law  is' for  the  law-breaker  9  332 

People  will  never  be  taken  and  sacrificed  for  their  igno- 
rance, when  they  have  had  no  opportunity  to  know  and 
understand  the  truth  Such  a  proceeding  would  be  con- 
trary to  the  economy  of  heaven  But  after  we  receive  and 
understand  things  as  they  are,  if  we  then  disobey,  we  may 
look  for  the  chastening  hand  of  the  Almighty.  3  '246 

Walk  up,  0  ye  Latter-day  Saints,  and  wake  up !  Come 
to  the  Lord,  forsake  your  covetousness,  your  back-slidings, 
forsake  the  spirit  of  the  world,  and  return  to  the  Lord  with 
full  purpose  of  heart  until  you  get  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
within  you,  that  you,  like  others,  can  cry,  "Abba  Father, 
the  Lord,  he  is  God,  and  I  am  his  servant"  15  -6. 

We  have  nothing  to  sacrifice  All  we  have  to  do  is  to 
love  and  serve  our  God,  and  do  everything  we  can  to  bring 
knowledge  to  ourselves  and  to  the  people  6-196 

When  the  Gospel  is  preached  to  the  honest  in  heart 
they  receive  it  by  faith,  but  when  they  obey  it  labor  is 
required  To  practice  the  Gospel  requires  time,  faith,  the 
heart's  affections  and  a  great  deal  of  labor.  Here  many 
stop  They  hear  and  believe,  but  before  they  go  on  to 
practice  they  begin  to  think  that  they  were  mistaken,  and 
unbelief  enters  mto  their  hearts.  16.40. 

When  \ve  get  to  understand  all  knowledge,  all  wisdom, 
that  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  understand  in  the  flesh,  we 
will  be  like  clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  willing1  to  be 
moulded  and  fashioned  according  to  the  will  of  him  who 


OBEDIENCE  345 

has  called  us  to  this  great  and  glorious  work,  of  purifying 
ourselves  and  our  fellow-beings,  and  of  preparing  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  for  the  glory  that  awaits  them  through 
obedience.  19.93. 

I  believe  that  it  is  a,  hell  intolerable  for  a  people,  a  fam- 
ily or  (a  single  person,  to  strive  to  grasp  truth  with  one 
hand,  and  error  with  the  other,  to  profess  to  walk  in  obe- 
dience to  the  commandments  of  God,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  mingle  heart  and  hand  with  the  wicked.  3  254 

Effect  of  Obedience — Great  peace  have  they  who  love 
the  law  of  the  Lord  and  abide  in  his  commandments.  8  -121 

If  you  wish  to  receive  and  enjoy  the  favor  of  our  Heav- 
enly Father,  do  his  will  8 :33, 

When  will  this  people  become  Saints  indeed?  Not  until 
they  observe  every  counsel  that  is  given  to  them  of  this 
kind,  doing  with  their  might  the  things  that  are  required 
of  them.  11.139. 

All  who  receive  eternal  life  and  salvation  will  receive 
it  on  no  other  conditions  than  believing  in  the  Son  of  God 
and  obeying  the  principles  that  he  has  laid  down  Can 
we  devise  any  other  means  and  plan  of  salvation?  We 
cannot  13  213. 

The  Saints  who  live  their  religion  will  be  exalted,  for 
they  never  will  deny  any  revelation  which  the  Lord  has 
given  or  may  give,  though,  when  there  is  a  doctrine  com- 
ing to  them  which  they  cannot  comprehend  fully,  they  may 
be  found  saying,  ''The  Lord  sendeth  this  unto  me,  and  I 
pray  that  he  will  save  and  preserve  me  from  denying  any- 
thing which  proceedeth  from  him,  and  give  me  patience  to 
wait  until  I  can  understand  it  for  myself." 

Such  persons  will  never  deny,  but  will  allow  those  sub- 
jects which  they  do  not  understand,  to  remain  until  the 


346  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

visions  of  their  minds  become  open  This  is  the  course 
which  I  have  invariably  pursued,  and  if  anything  came  that 
I  could  not  understand,  I  would  pray  until  I  could  com- 
prehend it 

Do  not  reject  anything  because  it  is  new  or  strange, 
and  do  not  sneer  nor  jeer  at  what  comes  from  the  Lord, 
for  if  \ve  do,  we  endanger  our  salvation  It  is  given  to  us. 
as  agents,  to  choose  or  refuse,  as  brother  S.  W.  Richards 
has  set  before  you,  but  i\e  are  agents  within  limits;  if  it 
were  not  so  there  would  be  no  law.  3  -266 

By  obeying  the  ordinances  of  God,  mankind  glorify  God, 
but  if  they  do  not  obey  him,  they  do  not  detract  one  par- 
ticle from  his  glory  and  power  The  commandments  of 
God  are  given  to  us  expressly  for  our  benefit,  and  if  we 
live  in  obedience  to  them  we  shall  live  so  as  to  understand 
the  mind  and  will  of  God  for  ourselves,  and  concerning  our- 
selves as  individuals  12*126. 

How  shall  we  know  that  we  obey  him?  There  is  but 
one  method  by  which  we  can  know  it,  and  that  is  by  the 
inspiration  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  witnessing  unto  our 
spirit  that  we  are  his,  that  we  love  him,  and  that  he  loves 
us  It  is  by  the  spirit  of  revelation  we  know  this.  We 
have  no  witness  to  ourselves  internally,  without  the  spirit 
of  revelation.  We  have  no  witness  outwardly,  only  by  obe- 
dience to  the  ordinances.  12.99. 

Law  is  made  for  the  lawless  Let  the  Saints  live  their 
religion,  and  there  is  not  a  la\v  that  can  justly  infringe  upon 
them  8:140. 

There  is  no  law  against  doing  good.  There  is  no  law 
against  love  There  is  no  law  against  serving  God  There 
is  no  law  against  charity  and  benevolence.  There  is  no  law 


OBEDIENCE  347 

against  the  principles  of  eternal  life  Live  them,  and  no 
righteous  law  of  man  can  reach  you  8  140 

When  the  law  of  God  is  written  on  the  hearts  of  a  peo- 
ple, every  person  will  know  his  place.  8  296. 

When  men  and  women  talk  about  giving  everything  for 
the  salvation  which  they  anticipate  and  live  for,  behold,  they 
have  nothing  to  give;  nor  have  they  anything  to  do,  only 
to  do  their  duty.  And  what  is  that?  To  improve  upon 
that  which  is  committed  to  their  possession — to  prove  them- 
selves worthy  to  their  Father  and  God,  that  ere  long  they 
may  be  worthy  to  receive  crowns  of  glory,  immortality  and 
eternal  life  Then  we  shall  be  beyond  the  power  of  Satan. 
6196. 

So  long  as  the  Latter-day  Saints  will  live  their  religion, 
they  shall  never  be  confounded,  worlds  without  end  Never 
be  afraid ,  your  hearts  are  brave,  your  arms  are  strong,  and 
God  is  our  defense.  10:40. 

Those  who  live  their  religion  will  enjoy  the  Spirit,  and 
that  enjoyment  will  increase;  and  if  we  will  be  faithful, 
the  Lord  will  make  our  feet  as  firm  in  these  valleys  as  are 
the  everlasting  riches  in  these  mountains,  and  no  power 
can  remove  us  He  will  give  us  a  sure  place  in  these 
mountains  until  we  go  forth  and  redeem  Zion.  Do  right, 
be  faithful,  and  make  no  calculations  about  removing  before 
the  time  comes.  8 '285. 

Obedience  and  Free  Agency — Here  is  a  brother  who 
says,  "Why,  yes,  you  may  have  some  of  ray  property  or 
even  take  it  all ,  but  I  want  to  be  a  man  for  myself ;  I  do 
not  want  to  be  dictated ;  I  want  to  preserve  my  own  free- 
dom ,  I  do  not  want  to  be  a  slave  "  What  an  idea !  It  is 
from  the  enemy,  and  because  a"  person  has  not  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  to  see  how  things  are.  There  is  not  a  man  of 


348  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

us  but  what  is  willing  to  acknowledge  at  once  that  God 
demands  strict  obedience  to  his  requirements  But  m  ren- 
dering that  strict  obedience,  are  we  made  slaves?  No,  at  is 
the  only  way  on  the  face  of  the  earth  for  7011  and  me  to 
become  free,  and  we  shall  become  slaves  of  our  own  pas- 
sions, and  of  the  wicked  one,  and  servants  to  the  Devil,  if 
we  take  any  other  course,  and  we  shall  be  eventually  cast 
into  hell  with  the  devils  Now  to  say  that  I  do  not  enjoy 
the  volition  of  my  own  will  just  as  much  when  I  pray  as  I 
would  to  swear,  is  a  false  principle,  it  is  false  ground  to 
take  You  take  the  man  who  swears,  and  he  has  no  more 
freedom,  and  acts  no  more  on  his  own  will  than  the  man 
who  prays ,  the  man  who  yields  strict  obedience  to  the  re- 
quirements of  Heaven,  acts  upon  the  volition  of  his  own 
will  and  exercises  his  freedom  just  as  much  as  when  he 
was  a  slave  to  passion,  and  I  think  it  is  much  better  and 
more  honorable  for  us,  whether  children  or  adults,  youthful, 
middle-aged  or  old,  it  is  better  to  live  by  and  better  to  die 
by,  to  have  our  hearts  pure,  and  to  yield  strict  obedience 
to  the  principles  of  life  which  the  Lord  has  revealed,  than 
be  a  slave  to  sin  and  wickedness.  All  that  the  Lord  re- 
quires of  us  is  strict  obedience  to  the  laws  of  life  A13  the 
sacrifice  that  the  Lord  asks  of  his  people  is  strict  obedience 
to  our  own  covenants  that  we  have  made  with  our  God,  and 
that  is  to  serve  him  with  an  undivided  heart  18-246 

One  of  the  simplest  things  in  the  world  is  to  control  a 
people  Is  there  any  particular  art  in  making  this  people 
obedient ?  There  is  just  one.  If  you,  Elders  of  Israel,  can 
get  the  art  of  preaching  the  Holy  Ghost  into  the  hearts  of 
the  people,  you  will  have  an  obedient  people  This  is  the 
only  art  required.  Teach  the  people  truth,  teach  them  cor- 
rect principles ;  show  them  what  is  for  their  greatest  good 


OBEDIENCE  349 

and  don't  you  think  they  will  follow  in  that  path?  They 
will,  just  as  far  as  it  is  consistent  with  their  weaknesses 
and  the  power  of  darkness  that  is  over  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth — with  us  as  with  others  12 :257. 

A  person  before  he  can  understand  the  law  and  govern- 
ment of  God  must  see  and  understand  the  propriety  of  it 
and  see  its  beauties.  So  it  is  with  the  whole  system  of  sal- 
vation. Not  that  I  would  say  we  are  machines,  for  we 
have  our  agency ;  but  God  has  placed  us  here,  and  he  exacts 
strict  obedience  to  his  laws  before  we  can  derive  the  bene- 
fit and  blessings  their  observance  will  yield.  You  may 
take  a  beautiful  machine  of  any  kind  you  please,  and  when 
the  machinist  has  finished  his  work  and  set  it  in  perfect 
order,  how  could  it  be  expected  to  operate  satisfactorily  if 
a  hook  here  or  a  journal  yonder  were  to  say,  I  am  not  going 
to  stay  here,  or,  I  am  going  to  jump  out  of  place  and  am 
going  somewhere  else;  and  then  another  piece  of  the  ma- 
chinery would  jump  out  of  its  place  into  another  part  of 
the  machine.  What  would  be  the  state  of  such  a  machine? 
Confusion  and  disorganization  would  soon  result  and  the 
machinist  might  very  properly  say,  what  a  pity  that  I  be- 
stowed so  much  labor  on  such  unruly  members  of  my 
machine.  13 :241. 

The  world  will  not  receive  the  Gospel,  unless  they  can 
have  it  on  their  own  terms,  and  will  persecute  the  few  that 
do  receive  it.  9:331. 

We  as  a  people,  will  be  chastened  until  we  can  wholly 
submit  ourselves  to  the  Lord  and  be  Saints  indeed.  5 :354. 

Effects  of  Disobedience — When  light  comes,  if  the  peo- 
ple reject  that  light,  it  will  condemn  them,  and  will  add  to 
their  sorrow  and  affliction.  6:288. 

If  we  live  our  religion  we  shall  prosper,  and  if  we  live 


350  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

in  the  neglect  of  our  duty,  and  continue  to  do  so,  there  will 
be  tribulation  and  anguish  here,  and  the  chastening  hand 
of  the  Almighty  will  be  on  this  people.  3  340. 

I  feel  in  my  heart  to  bless  you,  it  is  full  of  blessings  and 
not  cursing.  It  is  something  that  does  not  occupy  my  feel- 
ings to  curse  any  individual,  but  I  will  modify  this  by  say- 
ing those  who  ought  not  to  be  cursed.  Who  ought  to  be? 
Those  who  know  their  Master's  will,  and  do  it  not;  they 
are  worthy  of  many  stripes;  it  is  not  those  who  do  not 
know,  and  do  not  do,  but  those  who  know  it,  and  do  not 
do  it— they  are  the  ones  to  be  chastised  1  -248 

As  soon  as  you  are  overcome  by  the  spirit  of  the  world, 
you  forget  e\ery  good  deed  and  kindness  that  has  been 
extended  to  you,  and  you  only  remember  the  transpiring 
and  infliction  of  what  you  deemed  to  be  evil  that  would  have 
resulted  in  good,  had  you  done  right  3  358 

It  is  the  misapplied  intelligence  God  has  given  us  that 
makes  all  the  mischief  on  the  earth  That  intelligence  he 
designed  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  his  will,  and  endowed 
it  with  capabilities  to  grow,  spread  abroad,  accumulate,  and 
endeavor  to  enjoy  greater  happiness,  glory,  and  honor,  and 
continue  to  expand  wider  and  wider,  until  eternity  is  com- 
prehended by  it;  if  not  applied  to  this  purpose,  but  to  the 
grovelling  things  of  earth,  it  will  be  taken  away,  and  given 
to  one  who  has  made  better  use  of  this  gift  of  God  2 .1*24-5. 

If  we  will  only  piactice  what  we  profess,  I  tell  you  we 
are  at  the  defiance  of  hell  2:186 

For  a  man  to  undertake  to  live  a  Saint  and  walk  in  dark- 
ness is  one  of  the  hardest  tasks  that  he  can  undertake.  You 
cannot  imagine  a  position  that  will  sink  a  person  more 
deeply  in  perplexity  and  trouble  than  to  try  to  be  a  Saint 
without  living  as  a  Saint  should— without  enjoying  the 


OBEDIENCE  351 

spirit  of  his  religion  It  is  our  privilege  to  live  so  as  to 
enjoy  the  spirit  of  our  religion.  That  is  designed  to  re- 
store us  to  the  presence  of  the  Gods  Gods  exist,  and  we 
had  better  strive  to  be  prepared  to  be  one  with  them.  7 .238. 

Anything  that  is  impure  must,  sooner  or  later,  perish; 
no  matter  whether  it  is  in  the  faith  and  practice  of  an  in- 
dividual, town,  nation,  or  government.  That  kingdom, 
principality,  power  or  person  that  is  not  controlled  by  prin- 
ciples that  are  pure  and  holy  must  eventually  pass  away  and 
perish.  14.75. 

I  know  it  is  hard  to  receive  chastisement,  for  no  chas- 
tisement is  joyous,  but  grievous  at  the  time  it  is  given ;  but 
if  a  person  will  receive  chastisement  and  pray  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  rest  upon  him,  that  he  may  have  the  Spirit  of 
truth  in  his  heart,  and  cleave  to  that  which  is  pleasing  to 
the  Lord,  the  Lord  will  give  him  grace  to  bear  the  chastise- 
ment, and  he  will  submit  to  and'  receive  it,  knowing  that 
it  is  for  his  good.  3:47. 

Men  must  quit  swearing  and  taking  the  name  of  God 
in  vain;  they  must  refrain  from  lying,  stealing,  cheating, 
and  doing  that  which  they  know  they  ought  not  to  do,  or 
they  must  be  severed  from  this  Church  and  Kingdom.  4 :307. 

The  Latter-day  Saints,  in  all  their  travels,  have  not  been 
as  rebellious  as  the  Children  of  Israel  were.  11 :279. 


CHAPTER  XX 

GRATITUDE,   HUMILITY,   DEVOTION, 
LIBERALITY,   HONESTY 

Gratitude— I  do  not  know  of  any,  excepting  the  un- 
pardonable sin,  that  is  greater  than  the  sin  of  ingratitude. 
14:277. 

We  rejoice  because  the  Lord  is  ours,  because  we  are 
sown  in  weakness  for  the  express  purpose  of  attaining  to 
greater  power  and  perfection.  In  everything  the  Saints 
may  rejoice — in  persecution,  because  it  is  necessary  to 
purge  them,  and  prepare  the  wicked  for  their  doom;  in 
sickness  and  in  pain,  though  they  are  hard  to  bear,  because 
we  are  thereby  made  acquainted  with  pain,  with  sorrow, 
and  with  every  affliction  that  mortals  can  endure,  for  by 
contrast  all  things  are  demonstrated  to  our  senses.  We 
have  reason  to  rejoice  exceedingly  that  faith  is  in  the  world, 
that  the  Lord  reigns,  and  does  his  pleasure  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth.  Do  you  ask  if  I  rejoice  because 
the  Devil  has*  the  advantage  over  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth,  and  has  afflicted  mankind?  I  most  assuredly  an- 
swer in  the  affirmative ;  I  rejoice  in  this  as  much  as  in  any- 
thing else.  I  rejoice  because  I  am  afflicted.  I  rejoice  be- 
cause I  am  poor.  I  rejoice  because  I  am  cast  down.  Why? 
Because  I  shall  be  lifted  up  again.  I  rejoice  that  I  am  poor 
because  I  shall  be  made  rich;  that  I  am  afflicted,  because 
I  shall  be  comforted,  and  prepared  to  enjoy  the  felicity  of 
perfect  happiness,  for  it  is  impossible  to  properly  appre- 
ciate happiness  except  by  enduring  the  opposite.  1 :359. 

Humility— I  delight  extremely  in  plain  simplicity,  4:341. 


GRATITUDE,  HUMILITY,  LIBEKALITY,  HONESTY  353 

The  humble  will  live,  their  spirits  will  be  buoyant, 
and  they  will  live  to  a  great  age.  8:181. 

We  have  to  humble  ourselves  and  become  like  little  chil- 
dren in  our  feelings— to  become  humble  and  childlike  in 
spirit,  in  order  to  receive  the  first  illuminations  of  the  spirit 
of  the  Gospel,  then  we  have  the  privilege  of  growing,  of 
increasing  in  knowledge,  in  wisdom,  and  in  understand- 
ing. 3:192. 

The  hearts  of  the  meek  and  humble  are  full  of  joy  and 
comfort  continually.  4 :22. 

When  a  person  sees  things  as  they  are,  flattery  and  re- 
proach are  all  the  same  to  him,  he  sees  no  difference.  If 
he  finds  that  he  is  pleasing  God  and  his  brethren,  he  is 
exceedingly  rejoiced,  and  feels  an  increase  of  humility  and 
resignation.  When  a  man  is  proud  and  arrogant,  flattery 
fills  him  with  vanity  and  injures  him ;  but  it  is  not  so  when 
he  is  increasing  in  the  faith  of  God.  12 :50. 

I  exhort  the  brethren  not  to  boast  over  our  enemies' 
downfall.  Boast  not,  brethren.  God  has  come  out  of  his 
hiding-place,  and  has  commenced  to  vex  the  nations  that 
have  rejected  us,  and  he  will  vex  them  with  a  sore  vexation. 
8:324: 

Devotion  to  the  Gospel— To  the  Latter-day  Saints  I 
say,  live  your  religion,  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts, 
live  by  every  word  that  proceeds  from  the  mouth  of  God, 
and  we  shall  be  prospered.  13 :318. 

A  man,  or  a  woman,  desiring  to  know  the  will  of  God, 
and  having  an  opportunity  to  know  it,  will  apply  their 
hearts  to  this  wisdom  until  it  becomes  easy  and  familiar  to 
them,  and  they  will  love  to  do  good  instead  of  evil.  3 :363. 

To  enjoy  the  protection  of  the  Almighty,  -we  have  got 


354  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  live  our  religion—to  live  so  that  we  have  the  mind  of 
Christ  within  us.  4*358 

All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  apply  your  hearts  to  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  be  Saints  I  will  not  ask  anything  else 
on  this  earth  of  you,  only  to  live  so  as  to  know  the  mind 
and  will  of  God  when  you  receive  it,  and  then  abide  in  it 
If  you  will  do  that,  you  will  be  prepared  to  do  a  great 
many  things,  and  you  will  find  that  there  is  much  good  to 
be  done.  3 ,375. 

When  you  know  how  to  be  a  Saint  today,  you  are  in  a 
fair  way  to  know  how  to  be  a  Saint  tomorrow.  And  if  you 
can  continue  to  be  a  Saint  today,  you  can  through  the  week, 
and  through  the  year,  and  you  can  fill  up  your  whole  life  in 
performing  the  duty  and  labor  of  a  Saint.  2 .53. 

If  I  am  organized  and  capacitated  to  receive  this  glory 
and  this  exaltation,  I  must  be  the  friend  of  him  who  has 
brought  me  forth  and  instituted  this  exaltation  for  me;  I 
must  not  be  his  enemy  at  any  time.  4  198. 

I  have  sought  to  teach  you  how  to  get  rich,  but  I  never 
taught  you  to  neglect  your  duty ;  I  never  instructed  you  nor 
taught  you  to  forsake  the  Lord ;  and  today  I  would  rather 
not  own  one  farthing,  and  take  my  valise  m  my  hand,  as 
I  did  at  the  rise  of  the  Church,  and  travel  among  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  and 'beg  my  bread  from  door  to  door, 
than  to  neglect  my  duty  and  lose  the  Spirit  of  Almighty 
God,  If  I  have  wealth  and  cannot  use  it  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  building  up  of  his  Kingdom,  I  ask  the  Lord 
to  take  it  from  me  13 :2SO. 

There  is  not  a  wicked  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth  but 
what  reveres  a  pure  servant  of  God.  They  may  not  ac- 
knowledge it  with  their  organs  of  speech,  but  in  their 
hearts,  sentiments  and  feelings  they  revere  such  a  char- 


GRATITUDE,   HUMILITY,  LIBERALITY,  HONESTY  355 

acter.  When  they  see  a  pure  and  holy  man  or  woman, 
say  they,  "I  wish  I  was  as  good  as  you  are."  Then  let  us 
take  a  pride  in  acknowledging  our  religion  and  living  it, 
by  being  virtuous,  true  and  good  in  everything,  and  then 
take  pride  in  educating  your  minds  until  you  can  conquer 
and  control  yourselves  in  everything.  Educate  your  chil- 
dren in  all  the  knowledge  the  world  can  give  them.  God 
has  given  it  to  the  world,  it  is  all  his.  Every  true  prin- 
ciple, every  true  science,  every  art,  and  all  the  knowledge 
that  men  possess,  or  that  they  ever  did  or  ever  will  possess, 
is  from  God.  We  should  take  pains  and  pride  to  instill  this 
knowledge  into  the  minds  of  our  neighbors,  and  our  breth- 
ren, and  rear  our  children  so  that  the  learning  and  educa- 
tion of  the  world  may  be  theirs,  and  that  virtue,  truth  and 
holiness  may  crown  their  lives  that  they  may  be  saved  in 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  12:326. 

I  say  to  this  community,  Be  humble,  be  faithful  to  your 
God,  true  to  his  Church,  benevolent  to  the  strangers  that 
may  pass  through  our  Territory,  and  kind  to  all  people, 
serving  the  Lord  with  all  your  might,  trusting  in  him ;  but 
never  fear  the  frowns  of  an  enemy,  nor  be  moved  by  the 
flatteries  of  friends  or  of  enemies  from  the  path  of  right. 
Serve  your  God ;  believe  m  him,  and  never  be  ashamed  of 
him,  and  sustain  your  character  before  him. 

I  say  to  the  aged,  to  the  middle-aged,  and  to  the  young — 
All  be  true  to  your  God,  true  to  your  brethren,  and  kind  to 
all,  serving  God  with  all  your  heart.  And  may  he  bless 
you  for  Jesus'  sake.  Amen.  1 :146. 

While  speaking  the  other  day  to  the  people,  I  observed 
that  "the  race  was  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the 
strong/'  neither  riches  to  men  of  wisdom,  I  happened  to 
cast  my  eyes  upon  Ira  Ames,  who  was  sitting  in  the  con- 


356  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

gregation  I  knew  he  had  been  in  the  Church  a  consider- 
able length  of  time,  I  have  been  personally  acquainted  with 
him  for  twenty  years  My  eye  also  caught  many  more  of 
the  first  Saints  at  the  same  time.  These  men  know  that 
"Mormonism"  is  true,  they  have  moved  steadily  forward, 
and  have  not  sought  to  become  noted  characters  as  many- 
have,  but,  unseen  as  it  were,  they  have  maintained  their 
footing  steadily  in  the  right  path  I  could  place  my  hand 
upon  many  in  this  congregation,  who  will  win  the  race, 
though  they  are  not  very  swift,  to  outward  appearance,  and 
they  make  no  great  pretensions ,  they  are  found  continually 
attending  to  their  own  business.  They  do  not  appear  to  be 
great  warriors,  or  as  af  they  were  likely  to  win  the  battle 
But  what  is  their  true  character ?  They  have  faith  today, 
they  are  filled  with  faith,  their  words  are  few,  but  they  are 
full  of  integrity  You  will  find  them  tomorrow  as  they  were 
yesterday,  or  are  today.  Visit  them  when  you  will,  or 
under  what  circumstances,  and  you  find  them  unalterably 
the  same;  and  finally  when  you  have  spent  your  life  with 
them,  you  will  find  that  their  lives  throughout  have  been 
well  spent,  full  of  faith,  hope,  charity,  and  good  works,  as 
far  as  they  have  had  the  ability.  These  are  the  ones  who 
will  win  the  race,  conquer  in  the  battle,  and  obtain  the 
peace  and  righteousness  of  eternity.  1 :89, 

You  may  examine  from  the  beginning  to  this  day,  and 
continue  to  watch  in  the  future,  and  where  you  find  a  man 
who  wishes  to  steady  the  ark  of  God,  without  being  called 
to  do  so,  you  will  find  a  dark  spot  m  him.  The  man  full 
of  light  and  intelligence  discerns  that  God  steadies  his  own 
ark,  dictates  his  own  affairs,  guides  his  people,  controls  his 
kingdom,  governs  nations,  and  holds  the  hearts  of  all  liv- 
ing m  his  hands,  and  turns  them  hither  and  thither  at  his 


GRATITUDE,   HUMILITY,   LIBERALITY,  HONESTY  357 

pleasure,  not  infringing-  upon  their  agency  There  is  not 
the  least  danger  of  disagreeing  with  persons  enjoying  the 
Holy  Spirit.  8-66 

To  be  great  is  to  be  good  before  the  Heavens  and  before 
all  good  men  10.111. 

Give  Freely — Let  us  not  love  the  things  of  this  world 
above  the  things  of  God,  but  strip  for  the  race  and  harness 
for  the  battle  of  the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation,  10  328 

How  contracted  in  mind  and  short-sighted  we  must  be 
to  permit  the  perishable  things  of  this  world  to  swerve  us 
in  the  least  degree  from  our  fidelity  to  the  truth.  It  shows 
that  we  lack  knowledge  which  we  should  possess.  11  283. 

Suppose  that  you  are  required  to  do  ten  pieces  of  work, 
but  of  the  ten  only  one  is  necessary  for  the  promotion  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  which  had  you  better  do — perform 
the  ten  pieces  of  labor,  to  be  sure  of  doing  the  right  piece, 
or  neglect  the  whole  ten  because  you  do  not  know  which 
the  right  one  is?  Had  you  not  better  do  the  whole  ten 
pieces,  that  you  may  be  sure  of  performing  that  which  the 
Lord  really  requires  at  your  hands?  8*12-13. 

I  wish  you  to  understand,  however,  that  a  man  giving 
his  means  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  no  proof  to 
me  that  he  is  true  in  heart.  I  have  long  since  learned,  that 
a  person  may  give  a  gift  with  an  impure  design.  10  268. 

Man  may  think,  and  some  of  them  do,  that  we  have  a 
right  to  work  for  ourselves ;  but  I  say  we  have  no  time  to 
do  that  in  the  narrow,  selfish  sense  generally  entertained 
when  speaking  about  working  for  self.  We  have  no  time 
allotted  to  us  here  on  the  earth  to  work  for  ourselves  in 
that  sense;  and  yet  when  laboring  in  the  most  disinterested 
and  fervent  manner  for  the  cause  and  Kingdom  of  God,  it 
is  all  for  ourselves.  Though  our  time  be  entirely  occupied 


358  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  laboring  for  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  the  earth  we  are  in  reality  laboring  most  effectually  for 
self,  for  all  our  interest  and  welfare,  both  in  time  and  eter- 
nity, are  circumscribed  and  bound  up  in  that  Kingdom 
14:101. 

Be  Honest— Woe  to  those  who  profess  to  be  Saints  and 
are  not  honest  Only  be  honest  with  yourselves,  and  you 
will  be  honest  to  the  brethren.  2.53. 

Men  must  be  honest,  they  must  live  faithfully  before 
their  God,  and  honor  their  calling  and  being  on  the  earth 
You  ask  if  that  is  possible7  Yes;  the  doctrine  which  we 
have  embraced  takes  away  the  stony  hearts.  3:118-119. 

We  need  to  learn,  practice,  study,  know  and  undei  stand 
how  angels  live  with  each  other.  When  this  community 
comes  to  the  point  to  be  perfectly  honest  and  upright,  you 
will  never  find  a  poor  person ,  none  will  lack,  all  will  have 
sufficient  Every  man,  woman,  and  child  will  have  all  they 
need  just  as  soon  as  they  all  become  honest  When  the 
majority  of  the  community  are  dishonest,  it  maketli  the 
honest  portion  poor,  for  the  dishonest  serve  and  enrich 
themselves  at  their  expense,  6 :76. 

It  is  much  better  to  be  honest ;  to  live  here  uprightly, 
and  forsake  and  shun  evil,  than  it  is  to  be  dishonest  It 
is  the  easiest  path  in  the  world  to  be  honest,— to  be  upright 
before  God ,  and  when  people  learn  this,  they  will  practice 
it.  5295. 

Honest  hearts  produce  honest  actions— holy  desires  pro- 
duce corresponding  outward  works  - 

Fulfil  your  contracts  and  sacredly  keep  your  word 
10.97, 

I  have  no  fellowship  for  a  man  that  will  make  a  promise 
and  not  fulfil  it.  13:301. 


GRATITUDE,   HUMILITY,   LIBERALITY,   HONESTY  359 

Simple  truth,  simplicity,  honesty,  uprightness,  justice, 
mercy,  love,  kindness,  do  good  to  all  and  evil  to  none,  how 
easy  it  is  to  live  by  such  principles!  A  thousand  times 
easier  than  to  practice  deception !  14  76 

Honesty  in  Labor — I  have  tried  to  suppress  dishonesty 
in  individuals,  and  have  tried  thereby  to  make  them  honest. 
If  I  hire  a  carpenter  and  pay  him  three  dollars  a  day,  and 
he  is  three  days  in  making  a  six-panel  door  that  a  good 
workman  can  make  in  one,  or  even  a  door  and  a  half,  I  do 
not  want  to  pay  him  three  dollars  a  day  for  that  labor. 
6:73. 

We  want  the  Saints  to  increase  in  goodness,  until  our 
mechanics,  for  instance,  are  so  honest  and  reliable  that  this 
Railroad  Company  will  say,  "Give  us  a  'Mormon'  Elder  for 
an  engineer,  then  none  need  have  the  least  fear  to  ride,  for 
if  he  knows  there  is  danger  he  will  take  every  measure  nec- 
essary to  preserve  the  lives  of  those  entrusted  to  his  care  " 
I  want  to  see  our  Elders  so  full  of  integrity  that  they  will 
be  preferred  by  this  Company  for  their  engine  builders, 
watchmen,  engineers,  clerks,  and  business  managers.  If 
we  live  our  religion  and  are  worthy  the  name  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  we  are  just  the  men  that  all  such  business  can 
be  entrusted  to  with  perfect  safety;  if  it  can  not  it  will 
prove  that  we  do  not  live  our  religion  12  -300, 

If  you  see  honest  persons,  you  see  those  who  are  ready 
to  take  hold  and  labor  with  their  might,  even  though  they 
have  but  one  potato  in  a  day ;  they  will  suffer  rather  than 
impoverish  the  Church.  3 :340. 

One  liar  is  like  a  bad  king,  A  corrupt  and  wicked  king 
can  corrupt  a  whole  nation  One  har  can  deceive  thou- 
sands 16-30 

A  very  simple  person  can  tell  the  truth,  but  it  takes  a 


360  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

very  smart  person  to  tell  a  lie  and  make  it  appear  like  the 
truth,  11  304. 

Consistency  and  Sincerity — 0,  consistency,  thou  art  one 
of  the  fairest  jewels  in  the  life  of  a  Saint  11 .136. 

If  we  teach  righteousness,  let  us  also  practice  righteous- 
ness m  every  sense  of  the  word;  if  we  teach  morality,  let 
us  be  moral,  let  us  see  to  it  that  we  preserve  ourselves 
within  the  bounds  of  all  the  good  which  we  teach  to  others. 

I  am  sure  this  course  will  be  good  to  live  by  and  good  to 
die  by,  and  when  we  get  through  the  journey  of  life,  here, 
what  a  consolation  it  will  be  to  us  to  know  that  we  have 
done  as  we  ha\  e  wished  others  to  do  by  us  in  all  respects 

II  130 

There  is  not  one  man  in  this  city,  nor  m  the  Territory, 
who  hates  the  truth  and  the  Latter-day  Saints,  whose  influ- 
ence I  dread,  no,  not  even  the  hundreth  part,  as  I  do  a 
smooth,  slick  hypocrite  who  professes  to  be  a  Latter-day 
Saint.  The  former  cannot  sow  the  seeds  of  infidelity  and 
unbelief  m  the  hearts  of  the  people;  but  the  latter  can. 
18-359. 

A  person  who  is  a  thief,  a  Har,  and  a  murderer  in  his 
heart,  but  professes  to  be  a  Saint,  is  more  odious  in  the 
sight  of  God,  angels  and  good  men,  than  a  person  who 
comes  out  and  openly  declares  that  he  is  our  enemy.  I 
know  how  to  take  such  a  man,  but  a  devil  with  a  Saint's 
cloak  on  is  one  of  the  meanest  characters  you  can  imagine. 
I  say,  blessings  on  the  head  of  a  wicked  Gentile  who  is  my 
avowed  enemy,  far  sooner  than  upon  an  enemy  cloaked 
with  a  Saint's  profession.  3 .120. 

But  I  hope  and  trust  in  the  Lord  my  God  that  I  shall 
never  be  left  to  praise  this  people,  to  speak  well  of  them, 
for  the  purpose  of  cheering  and  comforting  them  by  the  art 


GRATITUDE,    HUMILITY,    LIBERALITY,   HONESTY  361 

of  flattery;  to  lead  them  on  by  smooth  speeches  day  after 
day,  week  after  week,  month  after  month,  and  year  after 
year,  and  let  them  roll  sin  as  a  sweet  morsel  under  their 
tongues,  and  be  guilty  of  transgressing  the  law  of  God. 
I  hope  I  shall  never  be  left  to  flatter  this  people,  or  any 
people,  on  the  earth,  in  their  iniquity,  but  far  rather  chasten 
them  for  their  wickedness  and  praise  them  for  their  good- 
ness. 4 .22. 

The  religion  that  we  have  embraced  must  last  a  man 
from  Monday  morning  until  Monday  morning,  and  from 
Saturday  night  until  Saturday  night,  and  from  one  new 
year  until  another;  it  must  be  in  all  our  thoughts  and 
words,  in  all  our  ways  and  dealings.  We  come  here  to 
te.ll  the  people  how  to  be  saved;  we  know  how,  conse- 
quently we  can  tell  others  Suppose  our  calling  tomorrow 
is  to  conduct  a  railroad,  to  go  into  some  philosophical  busi- 
ness, or  no  matter  what,  our  minds,  our  faith  or  religion, 
our  God  and  his  Spirit  are  with  us;  and  if  we  should 
happen  to  be  found  in  a  room  dedicated  for  purposes  of 
amusement  and  an  accident  should  occur,  and  an  Elder 
engaged  in  the  dance  is  called  upon  to  go  and  lay  hands 
on  .the  sick,  if  he  is  not  prepared  to  exercise  his  calling  and 
his  faith  in  God  as  much  there  as  at  any  other  time  and  in 
any  other  place,  he  never  should  be  found  there,  for  none 
have  a  legal  right  to  the  amusements  which  the  Lord  has 
ordained  for  his  children  except  those  who  acknowledge 
his  hand  m  all  things  and  keep  his  commandments.  14.117. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENTS 

Saints  Should  be  Happy— Then  learn  to  be  happy  when 
you  have  the  privilege.  5  294. 

The  whole  world  are  after  happiness.  It  is  not  found  in 
gold  and  silver,  but  it  is  in  peace  and  love.  12:314. 

What  will  give  a  man  joy?  That  which  will  give  him 
peace.  7 :3. 

If  the  heart  is  cheerful,  all  is  light  and  glory  within; 
there  is  no  sorrow.  6:41. 

When  man  is  industrious  and  righteous,  then  is  he 
happy.  9:244. 

The  person  who  enjoys  the  experience  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  at  the  same 
time  has  the  love  of  God  within  him,  is  the  happiest  of  any 
individuals  on  the  earth.  18:236. 

What  principal  object  have  human  beings  in  view? 
Happiness.  Give  me  glory,  give  me  power,  give  me  wealth, 
give  me  a  good  name,  give  me  influence  with  my  fellow- 
men,  give  me  all  these,  and  it  does  not  follow  that  I  am 
thereby  made  happy;  that  depends  altogether  upon  what 
principle  those  acquisitions  were  gained.  7:3. 

The  only  heaven  for  you  is  that  which  you  make  your- 
selves. My  heaven  is  here — (laying  his  hand  upon  his 
heart).  I  carry  it  with  me.  When  do  I  expect  it  in  its 
perfection?  When  I  come  up  in  the  resurrection;  then  I 
shall  have  it,  and  not"  till  then.  4:57. 

You  never  saw  a  true  Saint  in  the  world  that  had  sorrow, 
neither  can  you  find  one.  If  persons  are  destitute  of  the 
fountain  of  living  water,  or  the  principles  of  eternal  life, 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  363 

then  they  are  sorrowful.  If  the  words  of  life  dwell  within 
us,  and  we  have  the  hope  of  eternal  life  and  glory,  and  let 
that  spark  within  us  kindle  to  a  flame,  to  the  consuming  of 
the  least  and  last  remains  of  selfishness,  we  never  can  \valk 
in  darkness  and  are  strangers  to  doubt  and  fear.  6.41. 

If  this  is  the  work  of  God,  let  us  understand  its  beauty 
and  glory.  I  do  not  say  thai;  all  are  like  myself ,  but  from 
the  day  1  commenced  preaching  the  Gospel  to  this  present 
moment,  I  never  had  a  feeling  in  my  heart  to  occupy  much 
time  in  preaching  hell  to  the  people,  or  in  telling  them  much 
about  being  damned.  There  are  the  kingdoms  and  worlds 
which  God  has  prepared,  and  which  are  waiting  for  the 
just.  There  are  more  beauty,  glory,  excellency,  knowledge, 
power,  and  heavenly  things  than  I  have  time  to  talk  about, 
without  spending  my  time  in  talking  about  the  hells  pre- 
pared for  the  damned  I  have  not  time  to  talk  much  about 
them  8  42. 

It  does  make  the  Devil  mad.  That  is  true,  it  makes  him 
mad  that  he  cannot  afflict  this  people  so  as  to  make  them 
have  a  sad  countenance.  4.299. 

To  make  ourselves  happy  is  incorporated  m  the  great 
design  of  man's  existence.  I  have  learned  not  to  fret  my- 
self about  that  which  I  cannot  help  If  I  can  do  good,  I 
will  do  it ;  and  if  I  cannot  reach  a  thing,  I  will  content  my- 
self to  be  without  it  This  makes  me  happy  all  the  day 
long.  2.95 

Where  is  happiness,  real  happiness  ?  Nowhere  but  in 
God  By  possessing  the  spirit  of  our  holy  religion,  we  are 
happy  in  the  morning,  we  are  happy  at  noon,  we  are  happy 
in  the  evening;  for  the  spirit  of  love  and  union  is  with  us, 
and  we  rejoice  in  the  spirit  because,  it  is  of  God,  and  we 
rejoice  in  God,  for  he  is  the  giver  of  every  good  thing  Every 


364  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Latter-day  Saint,  who  has  experienced  the  lo\e  of  God  in 
his  heart,  after  having  received  the  remission  of  his  sins, 
through  baptism,  and  the  laying  on  of  hands,  realizes  that 
he  is  filled  with  joy,  and  happiness,  and  consolation.  He 
may  be  in  pain,  m  error,  in  poverty,  or  in  prison,  if  neces- 
sity demands,  still,  he  is  joyful  This  is  our  experience, 
and  each  and  every  Latter-day  Saint  can  bear  witness  to  it 
18-213. 

Truly  happy  is  that  man  or  woman,  or  that  people,  who 
enjoys  the  privileges  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
who  know  how  to  appreciate  his  blessings  1  309 

Men  and  \\omen,  for  slight  causes,  make  shipwreck  of 
faith,  lose  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  losing  the  object  for 
which  they  left  their  homes  and  their  friends  We  are  all 
searching  for  happiness;  we  hope  for  it,  we  think  we  live 
for  it,  it  is  our  aim  in  this  life.  But  do  we  live  so  as  to 
enjoy  the  happiness  we  so  much  desire?  There  is  only 
one  way  for  Latter-day  Saints  to  be  happy,  which  is  simply 
to  live  their  religion,  or  in  other  words  believe  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  every  part,  obeying  the  gospel  of  lib- 
erty with  full  purpose  o£  heart,  which  sets  us  free  indeed. 
If  we  will,  as  a  community,  obey  the  law  of  God,  and  com- 
ply with  the  ordinances  of  salvation,  then  we  may  expect 
to  find  the  happiness  we  so  much  desire,  but  if  we  do  not 
pursue  this  course  we  cannot  enjoy  the  unalloyed  happiness 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  Gospel  To  profess  to  be  a 
Saint,  and  not  enjoy  the  spirit  of  it,  tries  every  fibre  of  the 
heart,  and  is  one  of  the  most  painful  experiences  that  man 
can  suffer.  12  168. 

Social  Amusements— There  is  no  true  enjoyment  in  life 
— nothing  that  can  be  a  blessing  to  an  individual  or  to  a 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  365 

community,  but  what  is  ordained  of  God  to  bless  his  people. 
6  143 

We  want  to  see  every  countenance  full  of  cheerfulness, 
and  every  eye  bright  with  the  hope  of  future  happiness 
12314 

We  are  made  to  enjoy  all  that  God  enjoys,  to  inherit  all 
he  inherits,  to  possess  all  the  power  that  he  possesses,  all 
the  excellency  with  which  he  is  endowed — all  things  are  to 
be  brought  into  subjection  to  him  by  his  faithful  children, 
that  they  may  enjoy  all  things  with  him;  these  considera- 
tions bring  peace  to  the  heart  that  is  opened  to  under- 
standing. 10:171. 

A  gathering  and  social  spirit  seems  to  be  the  order  of 
heaven— of  the  spirit  that  is  in  the  Gospel  we  have  em 
braced.  Though  it  may  be  esteemed  as  a  fault — as  an  un- 
warrantable act  to  separate  ourselves  from  those  who  do 
not  believe  as  we  believe,  yet  such  is  the  nature  of  a  por 
tion  of  our  religion  pertaining  to  the  performance  of  out- 
ward duties.  If  the  Latter-day  Saints  can  associate  to- 
gether, free  from  the  contaminating  influences  that  are  in 
the  world,  it  is  a  blessing  and  a  great  privilege.  What 
would  induce  a  child  to  grow  up  in  the  wickedness  of  the 
wicked  world,  if  it  never  saw  or  heard  any  of  it?  7  267. 

Is  there  anything  immoral  in  recreation?  If  I  see  my 
sons  and  daughters  enjoying  themselves,  chatting,  visiting, 
riding,  going  to  a  party  or  a  dance,  is  there  anything  im- 
moral in  that?  I  watch  very  closely,  and  if  I  hear  a  word, 
see  a  look,  or  a  sneer  at  divine  things  or  anything  deroga- 
tory to  a  good  moral  character,  I  feel  it  in  a  moment,  and 
I  say,  "If  you  follow  that  it  will  not  lead  to  good,  it  is  evil ; 
it  will  not  lead  to  the  fountain  of  life  and  intelligence;  fol- 
low, only,  the  path  that  leads  to  life  everlasting,*' 


366  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

It  is  the  privilege  of  the  Saints  to  enjo>  every  good 
thing,  for  the  earth  and  its  fulness  belong  to  the  Lord,  and 
he  has  promised  all  to  his  faithful  Saints;  but  it  must  be 
enjoyed  without  spirit  of  covetousness  and  selfishness— 
without  the  spirit  of  lust,  and  in  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel , 
then  the  sun  will  shine  sweetly  upon  us ,  each  day  will  be 
filled  with  delight,  and  all  things  will  be  filled  with  beauty, 
giving  joy,  pleasure,  and  rest  to  the  Saints  8  82. 

We  are  to  learn  how  to  enjoy  the  things  of  life— how  to 
pass  our  mortal  existence  here  There  is  no  enjoyment,  no 
comfort,  no  pleasure,  nothing  that  the  human  heart  can 
imagine,  with  all  the  spirit  of  revelation  we  can  get,  that 
tends  to  beautify,  happify,  make  comfortable  and  peace- 
ful, and  exalt  the  feelings  of  mortals,  but  what  the  Lord 
has  in  store  for  his  people.  He  never  objected  to  their  tak- 
ing comfort  He  never  repealed  any  doctime,  that  I  have 
any  knowledge  of,  but  what  in  its  nature  is  calculated  to 
fill  with  peace  and  glory,  and  lift  every  sentiment  and  im- 
pulse of  the  heart  above  every  low,  sad,  deathly,  false  and 
grovelling  feeling  The  Lord  wishes  us  to  live  that  we 
may  enjoy  the  fulness  of  the  glory  that  pertains  to  the 
upper  world,  and  bid  farewell  to  all  that  gloomy,  dark, 
deathly  feeling  that  is  spread  over  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth.  8  128-129. 

Our  organism  makes  us  capable  of  exquisite  enjoy- 
ment Do  I  not  love  my  wife,  my  son,  my  daughter,  my 
brother,  my  sister,  my  father,  and  my  mother?  And  do  I 
not  love  to  associate  with  my  friends?  I  do,  and  love  to 
reflect  and  talk  on  eternal  principles.  7  138 

We  say  to  the  Bishops  and  to  everybody,  exercise  your- 
selves, provide  innocent  amusement  for  the  youth,  attract 
the  minds  of  the  children,  and  get  the  upper  hand  of  them 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  367 

and  be  on  the  lead  I  see  mothers  right  among  us  whose 
course  is  very  imprudent  with  their  children  You  ought 
always  to  take  the  lead  of  your  children  in  their  minds  and 
affections  Instead  of  being  behind  with  the  whip,  always 
be  in  advance,  then  you  can  say,  "Come  along,"  and  you 
will  have  no  use  for  the  rod  They  will  delight  to  follow 
you,  and  will  like  your  words  and  ways,  because  you  are 
always  comforting  them  and  giving  them  pleasure  and 
enjoyment  If  they  get  a  little  naughty,  stop  them  when 
they  have  gone  far  enough.  We  say  to  the  brethren,  humor 
your  wives  and  children  as  far  as  you  can,  but  when  they 
transgress,  and  transcend  certain  bounds  we  want  them  to 
stop.  If  you  are  in  the  lead  they  will  stop,  they  cannot 
run  over  you,  but  if  you  are  behind  they  will  run  away 
from  you.  Husbands,  always  be  in  advance  of  your  wives, 
and  then  if  they  undertake  to  do  something  that  is  very 
displeasing  to  you  they  will  run  right  against  you,  and  then 
stop  and  sit  down  because  they  can't  go  any  further.  Do 
you  know  how  to  do  this ?  "No,"  says  one,  "I  don't  know 
that  I  do."  Well,  then,  learn  by  searching  after  truth, 
according  to  the  revelations  given  in  this  book.  Search 
after  truth  in  all  good  books,  and  learn  the  wisdom  of  the 
world  and  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  put  them  together  and 
you  will  be  able  to  benefit  yourselves.  12  313. 

Our  work,  our  every-day  labor,  our  whole  lives  are 
within  the  scope  of  our  religion.  This  is  what  we  believe 
and  what  we  try  to  piactice.  Yet  the  Lord  permits  a  great 
many  things  that  he  never  commands.  I  have  frequently 
heard  my  old  brethren  in  the  Christian  world  make  remarks 
about  the  impropriety  of  indulging  in  pastimes  and  amuse- 
ments. The  Lord  never  commanded  me  to  dance,  yet  I 
have  danced :  you  all  know  it,  for  my  life  is  before  the  world. 


368  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Yet  while  the  Lord  has  ne\er  commanded  me  to  do  it,  he 
has  permitted  it.  I  do  not  know  that  he  ever  commanded 
the  boys  to  go  and  play  at  ball,  yet  he  permits  it.  I  am  not 
aware  that  he  e\  er  commanded  us  to  build  a  theater,  but  he 
has  permitted  it,  and  I  can  give  the  reason  why  Recrea- 
tion and  diversion  are  as  necessary  to  our  well-being  as  the 
more  serious  pursuits  of  life  There  is  not  a  man  in  the 
world  but  what,  if  kept  at  any  one  branch  of  business  or 
study,  will  become  like  a  machine  Our  pursuits  should  be 
so  diversified  as  to  develop  every  trait  of  character  and 
diversity  of  talent  If  you  would  develop  every  power  and 
faculty  possessed  by  your  children,  they  must  have  the 
privilege  of  engaging  in  and  enjoying  a  diversity  of  amuse- 
ments and  studies ,  to  attain  great  excellence,  however,  they 
cannot  all  be  kept  to  any  one  individual  branch  of  study. 
I  recollect  once  while  m  England,  in  the  district  of  coun- 
try called  the  "Potteries/'  seeing  a  man  pass  along  the 
street,  his  head,  perhaps,  within  sixteen  or  eighteen  inches 
of  the  ground  I  inquired  what  occupation  he  had  followed 
for  a  hving,  and  learned  that  he  had  never  done  anything 
in  his  life  but  turned  a  tea  cup,  and  he  was  then  seventy- 
four  years  of  age  How  do  we  know  but  what,  ff  he  had 
had  the  privilege,  he  would  have  made  a  statesman  or  a  fine 
physician,  an  excellent  mechanic  or  a  good  judge ?  We 
cannot  tell.  This  shows  the  necessity  of  the  mind  being 
kept  active  and  having  the  opportunity  of  indulging  in  ev- 
ery exercise  it  can  enjoy  m  order  to  attain  to  a  full  develop- 
ment of  its  powers.  13 :61. 

Little  boys  play  with  their  wagons,  tops,  marbles,  etc. , 
little  girls  with  their  dolls,  cradles,  and  skipping  ropes 
They  are  in  the  height  of  their  enjoyment,  while  there  sits 
the  mother  whose  mind  comprehends  all  the  children  can 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  369 

enjoy,  and  then  she  can  see  enjoyment  far  beyond  what 
they  are  then  capable  of  enjoying  Perhaps  her  vision  is 
open  to  see  foiward  into  the  eternity  before  her,  and  that 
she  will  be  able  to  preserve  her  identity  in  her  future  exist- 
ence Do  you  not  see  how  easy  it  is  for  her  to  circum- 
scribe all  those  little  children  can  enjoy?  Her  feeling  is, 
"I  am  delighted'  it  is  a  great  satisfaction  to  see  my  chil- 
dren enjoy  themselves  "  But  how  would  she  like  to  en- 
gage in  their  plays ?  "It  is  my  joy  to  see  them  enjoy  them- 
selves "  Do  you  like  to  get  together  in  your  parties?  How 
are  you  looked  upon  by  beings  in  the  eternal  worlds ?  Pre- 
cisely as  a  mother  looks  upon  her  children  when  they  are 
enjoying  themselves  and  passing  their  time  so  kindly  with 
each  other  Says  the  mother,  "I  do  delight  in  seeing  my 
children  enjoy  themselves."  I  also  delight  in  enjoying 
myself  with  the  brethren  and  sisters,  and  giving  to  my 
natural  organization  the  food  that  the  natural  body  re- 
quires The  body  requires  food,  and  the  immortal  spirit 
requires  food;  the  whole  organization  requires  something 
to  feast  upon,  and  we  get  up  amusements  to  satisfy  it. 
8  358-9. 

I  repeat  that  it  is  not  your  lawful  privilege  to  yield  to 
anything  in  the  shape  of  amusement,  until  you  have  per- 
formed every  duty,  and  obtained  the  power  of  God  to  enable 
you  to  'withstand  and  resist  all  foul  spirits  that  might 
attack  you,  and  lead  you  astray ,  until  you  have  command 
over  them,  and  by  }  our  faith,  obtained,  through  prayer  and 
supplication,  the  blessings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  it  rests 
upon,  and  abides  continually  with  you.  1 :113. 

In  all  your  social  communications,  or  whatever  your 
associations  are,  let  all  the  dark,  discontented,  murmuring, 
unhappy,  miserable  feelings— all  the  evil  fruit  of  the  mind, 


370  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

fall  from  the  tree  m  silence  and  unnoticed;  and  so  let  it 
perish,  without  taking  it  up  to  present  to  your  neighbors. 
But  when  you  have  joy  and  happiness,  light  and  intelli- 
gence, truth  and  virtue,  offer  that  fruit  abundantly  to  your 
neighbors,  and  it  will  do  them  good,  and  so  strengthen  the 
hands  of  your  fellow-beings,  even  though  you  may  be 
looked  upon  as  an  outcast,  vile  people,  not  worthy  of  the 
society  of  what  are  commonly  deemed  the  intelligent  por- 
tion of  the  world  7-269 

I  have  frequently  told  the  people  at  our  places  of  recre- 
ation, if  they  cannot  go  there  with  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord, 
they  had  better  stay  at  home  11  '283 

On  every  such  occasion,  it  is  right,  reasonable,  and  nec- 
essary, that  every  heart  be  directed  to  the  Lord.  When 
we  have  had  sufficient  recreation  for  our  good,  let  that 
suffice  It  is  all  right;  then  let  our  minds  labor  instead  of 
our  bodies ;  and  in  all  our  exercises  of  body  and  mind,  it  is 
good  to  remember  the  Lord,  1 :30. 

I  am  most  perfectly  satisfied  to  associate  with  those 
whose  hearts  are  filled  with  peace,  with  praise  and  adora- 
tion to  our  God,  and  whose  lives  are  full  of  good  works. 
Their  voices  to  me  are  like  sweet  music  I  have  not  the 
least  desire  to  mingle  with  or  look  upon  the  faces  of  those 
who  hate  God  and  his  cause  8 :57. 

We  are  now  enjoying  our  pastimes  We  often  meet 
together  and  worship  the  Lord  by  singing,  praying,  and 
preaching,  fasting,  and  communing  with  each  other  in  the 
Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Now  we  are  met  m  the 
capacity  of  a  social  community— for  what?  That  our  minds 
may  rest,  and  our  bodies  receive  that  recreation  which  is 
proper  and  necessary  to  keep  up  an  equilibrium,  to  pro- 
mote healthy  action  to  the  whole  system. 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  371 

Let  our  minds  sing  for  joy,  and  let  life  diffuse  itself 
into  every  avenue  of  the  body ,  for  the  object  of  our  meeting 
is  for  its  exercise,  for  its  good. 

This  party  was  gotten  up  by  the  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature, to  rest  their  minds,  to  convene  m  a  social  capacity, 
and  enjoy  the  society  of  each  other,  with  their  families,  and 
to  give  renewed  activity  and  energy,  which  will  invigorate 
and  strengthen  them  in  the  discharge  of  the  arduous  duties 
devolving  upon  them  1  29. 

Our  present  situation,  and  the  enjoyments  of  this  eve- 
ning, will  become  subjects  of  pleasant  and  agreeable  re- 
flection, when  we  shall  be  separated  from  this  community, 
and  go  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  then  these  moments  of 
festive  joy  will  be  remembered  with  pleasing  emotions,  and 
cherished  m  fond  memory  in  after  years.  1 :30. 

Is  there  any  harm  in  Sunday  school  parties?  No'  It 
is  one  of  the*most  harmless  kinds  of  enjoyment  when  con- 
ducted aright  If  they  wish  to  dance,  let  them  dance ;  let 
them  talk  and  play;  but  not  do  any  wrong  They  must 
not  get  angry  with  each  other ;  and  if  any  do  wrong  instruct 
them  to  do  right  If  our  children  are  thus  taught,  they  will 
be  patterns  of  piety  and  their  conduct  will  be  worthy  of 
imitation  12 ,239. 

One  of  the  most  useful  amusements  we  could  have 
would  be  for  the  Seventies  and  High  Priests  to  meet  here, 
instead  of  in  their  small  halls,  and  lecture.  Which  is  the 
most  delightful,  to  satisfy  the  wants  of  the  natural  body, 
or  those  of  the  intelligent  part  within  us?  Which  is  the 
most  precious?  Both.  8.358. 

My  first  remarks  will  be  concerning  such  exercises  as 
we  have  seen  here  this  morning  The  Latter-day  Saints 
have  many  pastimes,  and  they  enjoy  themselves  in  social 


372  DISCOUESES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

society  with  one  another  Yet  I  think,  m  my  reflections, 
that  we  should  have  an  increase—  and  we  are  having 
partially  an  increase  of  recreation  for  our  >outh  We  have 
very  few  holidays  When  the  4th  of  July  comes,  we  have 
our  amusements  and  exercises  When  the  24th  of  July 
comes,  we  hail  it  as  the  anniversary  of  a  day  of  deliverance. 
On  reflection,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would 
be  better  if  we  would  pay  more  attention  to  these  public 
exercises,  and  direct  the  minds  of  our  children  by  observ- 
ing them,  taking-  a  course  to  have  them  avoid  getting  into 
the  habit  of  drinking  and  every  kind  of  rowdyism,  and 
other  things  that  are  unbecoming,  and  in  all  of  our  amuse- 
ments have  objects  of  improvement  that  are  worthy  of 
pursuit  We  should  have  more  of  the  children  attend  Sun- 
day school,  and  the  teachers  should  continually  place  ob- 
jects before  them  that  will  lead  them  to  study  to  improve 
in  their  manners,  m  their  words,  in  their  looks  and  in  their 
behavior,  and  that  will  guide  their  minds  aright.  You 
will  find  we  can  place  before  them  objects  that  will  do  them 
much  good  in  their  thoughts  and  reflections,  that  will  im- 
prove their  young  and  tender  minds,  and  have  an  influence 
upon  their  future  lives  for  good;  and  we  can  thus  bring 
them  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord  by  tak- 
ing a  course  to  lead  their  minds  12  238-9. 

I  am  satisfied  that  those  persons  who  stamp,  clap  hands, 
whistle,  and  make  other  noisy  and  boisterous  demonstra- 
tions in  the  theaters,  so  untimed  and  uncalled  for,  have  but 
little  sense,  and  know  not  the  difference  between  a  happy 
smile  of  satisfaction  to  cheer  the  countenance  of  a  friend, 
or  a  contemptuous  sneer  that  brings  the  curses  of  man 
upon  man.  9  290. 

Never  give  way  to   vain   laughter.     I   have   seldom 


HAPPINESS   AND  SOCIAL   ENJOYMENT  373 

laughed  aloud  for  twenty  or  thirty  years  without  regretting 
it,  and  I  always  blush  for  those  who  laugh  aloud  without 
meaning.  9  '290. 

Dancing— Those  that  have  kept  their  covenants  and 
served  their  God,  if  they  wish  to  exercise  themselves  in  any 
way,  to  rest  their  minds  and  tire  their  bodies,  go  and  enjoy 
yourselves  in  the  dance,  and  let  God  be  in  all  your  thoughts 
in  this  as  in  all  other  things,  and  he  will  bless  you,  6  149 

There  are  many  of  our  aged  brethren  and  sisters,  who, 
through  the  traditions  of  their  fathers  and  the  requirements 
of  a  false  religion,  were  never  inside  a  ball-room  or  a  theater 
until  they  became  Latter-day  Saints,  and  now  they  seem 
more  anxious  for  this  kind  of  amusement  than  are  our  chil- 
dren This  arises  from  the  fact  they  have  been  starved  for 
many  years  for  that  amusement  which  is  designed  to  buoy 
up  their  spirits  and  make  their  bodies  vigorous  and  strong, 
and  tens  of  thousands  have  sunk  into  untimely  graves  for 
want  of  such  exercises  to  the  body  and  the  mind.  They 
require  mutual  nourishment  to  make  them  sound  and 
healthy.  Every  faculty  and  power  of  both  body  and  mmd 
is  a  gift  from  God.  Never  say  that  means  used  to  create 
and  continue  healthy  action  of  body  and  mind  are  from 
hell,  9.244. 

I  want  it  distinctly  understood,  that  fiddling  and  danc- 
ing are  no  part  of  our  worship  The  question  may  be  asked, 
What  are  they  for,  then?  I  answer,  that  my  body  may 
keep  pace  with  my  mind.  My  mind  labors  like  a  man 
logging,  all  the  time;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  I  am  fond 
of  these  pastimes— they  give  rne  a  privilege  to  throw  every- 
thing off,  and  shake  myself,  that  my  body  may  exercise, 
and  my  mind  rest.  What  for?  To  get  strength,  and  be 
renewed  and  quickened,  and  enlivened,  and  animated,  so 


374  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  my  mind  may  not  wear  out.  Experience  tells  us  that 
the  most  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  wear  out  their  bod- 
ies without  wearing  their  minds  at  all,  through  the  suffer- 
ings they  endure  from  hard  labor,  with  distress,  poverty, 
and  want  While  on  the  other  hand,  a  great  portion  of 
mankind  wear  out  their  bodies  without  laboring,  only  in 
anxiety.  But  when  men  are  brought  to  labor  entirely  in 
the  field  of  intelligence,  there  are  few  minds  to  be  found 
possessing  strength  enough  to  bear  all  things;  the  mind 
becomes  overcharged,  and  when  this  is  the  case,  it  begins 
to  wear  upon  the  body,  which  will  sink  for  want  of  the 
proper  exercises.  This  is  the  reason  why  I  believe  m  and 
practice  what  I  do.  1 :30 

There  is  no  music  in  hell,  for  all  good  music  belongs 
to  heaven.  Sweet  harmonious  sounds  give  exquisite  joy  to 
human  beings  capable  of  appreciating  music  I  delight  in 
hearing  harmonious  tones  made  by  the  human  voice,  by 
musical  instruments,  and  by  both  combined.  Every  sweet 
musical  sound  that  can  be  made  belongs  to  the  Saints  and 
is  for  the  Saints  Every  flower,  shrub  and  tree  to  beautify, 
and  to  gratify  the  taste  and  smell,  and  every  sensation  that 
gives  to  man  joy  and  felicity  are  for  the  Saints  who  receive 
them  from  the  Most  High  9  244 

If  you  happen  to  be  in  a  party  where  I  am  and  wearing 
dresses  made  with  your  own  hands,  I  shall  take  pleasure 
in  dancing  with  you  in  preference  to  the  lady  dressed  in 
silks  and  satins.  9  190 

I  am  opposed  to  making  a  cotillion  hall  a  place  of  wor- 
ship. 9:194. 

I  am  opposed  to  having  cotillions  or  theatrical  perform- 
ances in  this  Tabernacle  I  am  opposed  to  making  this  a 
fun  hall,  I  do  not  mean  for  wickedness,  I  mean  for  the 


THE  OLD  TABERNACLE,  SALT  LAKE  CITY 


THE  PRESENT  TABERNACLE,  SALT  LAKE  CITY 


HAPPINESS  AND  SOCIAL  ENJOYMENT  375 

recuperation  of  our  spirits  and  bodies  I  am  not  willing 
that  they  should  convert  the  house  that  has  been  set  apart 
for  religious  meetings  into  a  dancing  hall  9:195. 

Those  who  cannot  serve  God  with  a  pure  heart  in  the 
dance  should  not  dance  6  148 

If  you  want  to  dance,  run  a  foot  race,  pitch  quoits,  or 
play  at  ball,  do  it,  and  exercise  your  bodies,  and  let  your 
minds  rest  6:149. 

If  you  wish  to  dance,  dance ;  and  you  are  just  as  much 
prepared  for  a  prayer  meeting  after  dancing  as  ever  you 
were,  if  you  are  Samts.  If  you  desire  to  ask  God  for  any- 
thing, you  are  as  well  prepared  to  do  so  in  the  dance  as  in 
any  other  place,  if  you  are  Saints  Are  your  eyes  open  to 
know  that  everything  in  the  earth,  in  hell,  or  in  heaven,  is 
ordained  for  the  use  of  intelligent  beings  ?  6  '148 

The  Theater— Is  there  evil  in  the  theater,  in  the  ball 
room,  in  the  place  of  worship;  in  the  dwelling,  in  the 
world?  Yes,  when  men  are  inclined  to  do  evil  in  any  of 
these  places.  There  is  evil  in  persons  meeting  simply  for 
a  chit  chat,  if  they  will  allow  themselves  to  commit  evil 
while  thus  engaged.  9-243. 

I  built  that  theater  to  attract  the  young  of  our  com- 
munity and  to  provide  amusement  for  the  boys  and  girls, 
rather  than  have  them  running  all  over  creation  for  recre- 
ation. Long  before  that  was  built  I  said  to  the  Bishops, 
"Get  tip  your  parties  and  pleasure  grounds  to  amuse  the 
people."  12312-313. 

Upon  the  stage  of  a  theater  can  be  represented  in  char- 
acter, evil  and  its  consequences,  good  and  its  happy  results 
and  rewards ;  the  weakness  and  the  follies  of  man,  the  mag- 
nanimity of  virtue  and  the  greatness  of  truth.  The  stage 
can  be  made  to  aid  the  pulpit  in  impressing  upon  the  minds 


376  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

of  a  community  an  enlightened  sense  of  a  virtuous  life,  also 
a  proper  horror  of  the  enormity  of  sin  and  a  just  dread 
of  its  consequences.  The  path  of  sin  with  its  thorns  and 
pitfalls,  its  gins  and  snares  can  be  revealed,  and  how  to 
shun  it.  9:243 

Tragedy  is  favored  by  the  outside  world,  I  am  not  m 
favor  of  it  I  do  not  wish  murder  and  all  its  horrors  and 
the  villany  leading  to  it  portrayed  before  our  women  and 
children;  I  do  not  want  the  child  to  carry  home  with  it  the 
fear  of  the  fagot,  the  sword,  the  pistol,  or  the  dagger,  and 
suffer  in  the  night  from  frightful  dreams.  I  want  such 
-plays  performed  as  will  make  the  spectators  feel  well ;  and 
I  wish  those  who  perform  to  select  a  class  of  plays  that 
will  improve  the  public  mind,  and  exalt  the  literary  taste 
of  the  community.  9.245. 

Excursions — If  the  people  should  conclude  to  take  short 
excursions  with  their  families,  except  the  smallest  children, 
it  would  be  much  to  their  comfort,  and  would  cheer  them 
up.  2:283. 

I  would  be  very  pleased  to  learn  that  your  Bishop, 
Brother  Miller,  was  preparing  a  place  for  parties;  with  a 
little  pond  to  float  boats  on.  and  other  means  of  enjoyment, 
where  the  people  could  assemble  to  have  their  exercises 
Get  the  young  minds  to  follow  after  you  in  these  things, 
and  they  will  follow  after  you  in  every  precept  that  is  good.' 
And  I  would  like  to  hear  of  other  Bishops  taking  steps  to 
prepare  suitable  places  for  the  same  purpose.  12 .239. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
EDUCATION 

Knowledge  and  Intelligence — Education  is  a  good  thing, 
and  blessed  is  the  man  who  has  it,  and  can  use  it  for  the 
dissemination  of  the  Gospel  without  being  puffed  up  with 
pride.  11:214. 

When  we  speak  upon  education,  it  is  not  to  be  under- 
stood that  it  alone  consists  in  a  man's  learning  the  letters 
of  the  alphabet,  in  being  trained  in  every  branch  of  schol- 
astic lore,  in  becoming  a  proficient  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
sciences,  and  a  classical  scholar,  but  also  in  learning  to 
classify  himself  and  others.  1 :66. 

Find  a  true  philosopher  and  you  find  one  who  has  the 
true  principles  of  Christianity.  He  delights  in  them;  and 
sees  and  understands  the  hand  of  Providence  guiding  and 
directing  in  all  the  affairs  of  this  life.  14 :82. 

A  firm,  unchangeable  course  of  righteousness  through 
life  is  what  secures  to  a  person  true  intelligence  8:32. 

Intelligent  beings  are  organized  to  become  Gods,  even 
the  Sons  of  God,  to  dwell  in  the  presence  of  the  Gods,  and 
become  associated  with  the  highest  intelligencies  that  dwell 
in  eternity.  We  are  now  in  the  school,  and  must  practice 
upon  what  we  receive.  8:160. 

When  we  have  faith  to  understand  that  he  must  dictate, 
and  that  we  must  be  perfectly  submissive  to  him,  then  we 
shall  begin  to  rapidly  collect  the  intelligence  that  is  be- 
stowed upon  the  nations,  for  all  this  intelligence  belongs 
to  Zion.  All  the  knowledge,  wisdom,  power,  and  glory  that 
have  been  bestowed  upon  the  nations  of  the  earth,  from  the 


378  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

days  of  Adam  till  now,  must  be  gathered  home  to  Zion 
8278 

This  people  have  embraced  the  philosophy  of  eternal 
lives,  and  in  view  of  this  we  should  cease  to  be  children 
and  become  philosophers,  undei  standing  our  own  existence, 
its  purpose  and  intimate  design,  then  our  days  will  not  be- 
come a  blank  through  ignorance,  but  every  day  will  bring 
with  it  its  useful  and  profitable  employment  God  has 
placed  us  here,  given  us  the  ability  we  possess,  and  sup- 
plied the  means  upon  which  we  can  operate  to  produce  so- 
cial, national,  and  eternal  happiness  9  "190. 

When  a  man  is  capable  of  correcting  you,  and  of  giving 
you  light,  and  true  doctrine,  do  not  get  up  an  altercation, 
but  submit  to  be  taught  like  little  children,  and  strive  with 
all  your  might  to  understand.  1  47. 

Learning  a,  b,  c,  d,  does  not  hindei  me  learning  e,  f,  g. 
1627. 

A  Religion  of  Improvement— Ours  is  a  religion  of  im- 
provement; it  is  not  contracted  and  confined,  but  is  cal- 
culated to  expand  the  minds  of  the  children  of  men  and 
lead  them  up  into  the  state  of  intelligence  that  will  be  an 
honor  to  our  being.  10:290 

Every  art  and  science  known  and  studied  by  the  chil- 
dren of  men  is  comprised  within  the  Gospel.  Where  did 
the  knowledge  come  from  which  has  enabled  man  to  ac- 
complish such  great  achievements  in  science  and  mechan- 
ism within  the  last  few  years?  We  know  that  knoxvledge 
is  from  God,  but  why  do  they  not  acknowledge  him?  Be- 
cause they  are  blind  to  their  own  interests,  they  do  not  see 
and  understand  things  as  they  are.  Who  taught  men  to 
chain  the  lightning?  Did  man  unaided  of  himself  discover 
that?  No,  he  received  the  knowledge  from  the  Supreme 


EDUCATION  379 

Being  From  him,  too,  has  every  art  and  science  proceeded, 
although  the  credit  is  given  to  this  individual,  and  that 
individual  But  where  did  they  get  the  knowledge  from, 
have  they  it  in  and  of  themselves3  No,  they  must  ac- 
knowledge that,  if  they  cannot  make  one  spear  of  grass 
grow,  nor  one  hair  white  or  black  without  artificial  aid,  they 
are  dependent  upon  the  Supreme  Being  just  the  same  as  the 
poor  and  the  ignorant  Where  have  we  received  the  knowl- 
edge to  construct  the  labor-saving  machinery  for  which  the 
present  age  is  remarkable ?  From  Hea\en  Where  have 
we  received  our  knowledge  of  astronomy,  or  the  power  to 
make  glasses  to  penetrate  the  immensity  of  space?  We 
received  it  from  the  same  Being  that  Moses,  and  those  who 
were  before  him,  received  their  knowledge  from,  the  same 
Being  who  told  Noah  that  the  world  should  be  drowned 
and  its  people  destroyed  From  him  has  every  astronomer, 
artist  and  mechanician  that  ever  lived  on  the  earth  obtained 
his  knowledge.  By  him,  too,  has  the  power  to  receive  from 
one  another,  been  bestowed,  and  to  search  into  the  deep 
things  pertaining  to  this  earth  and  every  principle  con- 
nected with  it.  12.257. 

It  is  highly  gratifying  to  the  Lord,  to  angels,  and  to  all 
good  men,  to  see  intelligent  beings  organized  to  receive 
a  great  amount  of  intelligence—seeking  to  possess  eternal 
life,  8:136. 

The  Lord  has  chosen  the  poor  of  this  world, — rich  in 
faith — and  the  time  will  come  when  he  will  give  the  earth 
to  his  poor  for  an  everlasting  inheritance.  I  speak  this  for 
the  comfort  of  rny  brethren  and  sisters  who  have  been 
poor.  They  have  come  here,  and  what  do  we  see?  The 
youth,  the  middle-aged  and  the  old  improving  in  letters,  in 
mechanism  and  in  the  arts  and  sciences  We  bring  them 


380  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHT  YOUNG 

here  to  improve  them,  and  if  the  Lord  will  bless  us  suf- 
ficiently, and  the  people  will  bless  themselves,  we  will  have 
a  nation  that  understands  all  things  pertaining  to  the  earth 
that  it  is  possible  for  man  to  grasp  Will  this  people  be 
praiseworthy'  Yes,  and  honored  and  honorable  Will 
they  be  looked  to  as  examples ?  Yes,  and  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints  to  live  their  religion  so  that  all  the 
world  can  say  there  is  a  pattern  for  us,  not  only  in  our 
business  and  worship,  but  in  our  knowledge  of  things  that 
are,  things  that  have  been  and  of  things  that  are  yet  to 
come,  until  the  knowledge  of  Zion  shall  reach  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  earth,  and  the  kings  and  great  men  shall 
say,  "Let  us  go  up  to  Zion  and  learn  wisdom."  12  257. 

The  greatest  difficulty  we  have  to  meet  is  what  may  be 
termed  ignorance,  or  want  of  understanding  m  the  people. 
763. 

Not  onl>  does  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  make  the  peo- 
ple acquainted  with  the  things  of  God,  and  develop  within 
them  moral  excellence  and  purity,  but  it  holds  out  every 
encouragement  and  inducement  possible,  for  them  to  in- 
crease in  knowledge  and  intelligence,  m  every  branch  of 
mechanism,  or  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  for  all  wisdom,  and 
all  the  arts  and  sciences  in  the  ivorld  are  from  God,  and  are 
designed  for  the  good  of  his  people.  13  147 

Knowledge  to  be  Sought — The  religion  embraced  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  if  only  slightly  understood,  prompts 
them  to  search  diligently  after  knowledge  There  is  no 
other  people  in  existence  more  eager  to  see,  hear,  learn, 
and  understand  truth,  8  6 

Let  there  be  a  mutual  desire  in  every  man  to  dissemin- 
ate knowledge,  that  all  may  know  I  have  always  followed 


EDUCATION  381 

out  the  rule  of  dispensing  what  I  know  to  others,  and  been 
blessed  in  so  doing  9  370. 

Put  forth  your  ability  to  learn  as  fast  as  you  can,  and 
gather  all  the  strength  of  mind  and  principle  of  faith  you 
possibly  can,  and  then  distribute  your  knowledge  to  the 
people.  8:146. 

We,  who  believe  in  and  have  obeyed  this  Gospel,  look 
forward  with  the  anticipation  of  obtaining  a  great  amount 
of  knowledge  and  wisdom.  When  we  embraced  the  Gos- 
pel, the  spirit  opened  up  to  our  minds  the  fact  that  the 
wisdom,  the  knowledge  and  the  power  of  God  would  in- 
crease in  the  midst  of  the  Saints  This  is  our  experience, 
knowing  for  myself,  what  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  brings  to 
the  understanding,  testify  what  it  reveals  to  others.  18  236. 

Let  us  train  our  minds  until  we  delight  in  that  which  is 
good,  lovely  and  holy,  seeking  continually  after  that  intelli- 
gence which  will  enable  us  effectually  to  build  up  Zion, 
which  consists  in  building  houses,  tabernacles,  temples, 
streets,  and  every  convenience  and  necessity  to  embellish 
and  beautify,  seeking  to  do  the  will  of  the  Lord  all  the 
days  of  our  lives,  improving  our  minds  in  all  scientific  and 
mechanical  knowledge,  seeking  diligently  to  understand  the 
great  design  and  plan  of  all  created  things,  that  we  may 
know  what  to  do  with  our  lives  and  how  to  improve  upon 
the  facilities  placed  within  our  reach.  10.177. 

If  we  wish  to  be  taught,  to  receive,  and  understand,  we 
must  train  ourselves.  6 .99. 

We  are  in  a  great  school,  and  we  should  be  diligent  to 
learn,  and  continue  to  store  up  the  knowledge  of  heaven 
and  of  earth,  and  read  good  books,  although  I  cannot  say 
that  I  would  recommend  the  reading  of  all  books,  for  it  is 
not  all  books  which  are  good  Read  good  books,  and  ex- 


382  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

tract  from  them  wisdom  and  understanding  as  much  as 
you  possibly  can,  aided  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  12  124 

Every  man  and  woman  that  has  talent  and  hides  it  will 
Jbe  called  a  slothful  servant  Improve  day  by  day  upon 
the  capital  you  ha\e  In  proportion  as  we  are  capacitated 
to  receive,  so  it  is  our  duty  to  do.  7.7. 

It  is  our  duty  and  calling,  as  ministers  of  the  same  sal- 
vation and  Gospel,  to  gather  every  item  of  truth  and  reject 
every  error.  Whether  a  truth  be  found^with  professed  in- 
fidels, or  with  the  Universalists,  or  the  Church  of  Rome,  or 
the  Methodists,  the  Church  of  England,  the  Presbyterians, 
the  Baptists,  the  Quakers,  the  Shakers,  or  any  other  of  the 
various  and  numerous  different  sects  and  parties,  all  of 
whom  have  more  or  less  truth,  it  is  the  business  of  the 
Elders  of  this  Church  (Jesus,  their  Elder  Brother,  being  at 
their  head)  to  gather  up  all  the  truths  in  the  world  pertain- 
ing to  life  and  salvation,  to  the  Gospel  we  preach,  to 
mechanism  of  every  kind,  to  the  sciences,  and  to  philos- 
ophy, wherever  it  may  be  found  in  every  nation,  kindred, 
tongue,  and  people  and  bring  it  to  Zion  7  283, 

Continuous  Education— This  is  our  labor,  our  business, 
and  our  calling' — to  grow  in  grace  and  in  knowledge  from 
day  to  day  and  from  year  to  year  6 :268 

I  shall  not  cease  learning  while  I  live,  nor  when  I  arrive 
in  the  spirit-world ,  but  shall  there  learn  with  greater  facil- 
ity, and  when  I  again  receive  my  body,  I  shall  learn  a 
thousand  times  more  in  a  thousand  times  less  time;  and 
then  I  do  not  mean  to  cease  learning,  but  shall  still  con- 
tinue my  researches  8*10. 

We  shall  never  see  the  time  when  we  shall  not  need  to 
be  taught,  nor  when  there  will  not  be  an  object  to  be 
gained,  I  never  expect  to  see  the  time  that  there  will  not 


EDUCATION  383 

be  a  superior  power  and  a  superior  knowledge,  and,  conse- 
quently, incitements  to  further  progress  and  further  im- 
provement 10  "221. 

If  I  do  not  learn  what  is  in  the  world,  from  first  to  last, 
somebody  will  be  wiser  than  I  am.  I  intend  to  know  the 
whole  of  it,  both  good  and  bad.  Shall  I  practice  evil ?  No , 
neither  have  I  told  you  to  practice  it,  but  to  learn  by  the 
light  of  truth  every  principle  there  is  in  existence  in  the 
world.  2.94. 

We  need  constant  instruction,  and  our  great  heavenly 
Teacher  requires  of  us  to  be  diligent  pupils  in  his  school, 
that  we  may  in  time  reach  his  glorified  presence  If  we 
will  not  lay  to  heart  the  rules  of  education  which  our 
Teacher  gives  us  to  study,  and  continue  to  advance  from 
one  branch  of  learning  to  another,  we  never  can  be  schol- 
ars of  the  first  class  and  become  endowed  with  the  science, 
power,  excellency,  brightness  and  glory  of  the  heavenly 
hosts;  and  unless  we  are  educated  as  they  are,  we  cannot 
associate  with  them.  10  266. 

And  inasmuch  as  the  Lord  Almighty  has  designed  us 
to  know  all  that  is  in  the  earth,  both  the  good  and  the  evil, 
and  to  learn  not  only  what  is  in  heaven,  but  what  is  in 
hell,  you  need  not  expect  ever  to  get  through  learning 
Though  I  mean  to  learn  all  that  is  in  heaven,  earth,  and 
hell.  Do  I  need  to  commit  iniquity  to  do  it?  No.  If  I 
were  to  go  into  the  bowels  of  hell  to  find  out  what  is  there, 
that  does  not  make  it  necessary  that  I  should  commit  one 
evil,  or  blaspheme  ir>  any  way  the  name  of  my  Maker. 
294. 

The  extent  of  knowledge  incorporated  within  the  sal- 
vation extended  to  the  children  of  men,  will  vastly  exceed 
the  researches  of  the  human  family,  and  when  they  have 


384  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

passed  the  veil,  they  will  then  understand  that  they  have 
but  just  commenced  to  learn  Brother  Morley  says  he 
never  expects  to  be  too  old  to  learn ;  I  believe  that  doctrine 

Could  we  live  to  the  age  of  Methuselah,  and  eat  the 
fruits  which  the  earth  would  produce  in  her  strength,  as 
did  Adam  and  Eve  before  the  transgression,  and  spend  our 
lives  in  searching  after  the  principles  of  eternal  life,  we 
would  find,  when  one  eternity  had  passed  to  us,  that  we 
had  been  but  children  thus  far,  babies  just  commencing  to 
learn  the  things  which  pertain  to  the  eternities  of  the  Gods, 

We  might  ask,  when  shall  we  cease  to  learn?  I  will 
give  you  my  opinion  about  it:  never,  never.  3 .202. 

If  we  continue  to  learn  all  that  we  can,  pertaining  to 
the  sahation  which  is  purchased  and  presented  to  us 
through  the  Son  of  God,  is  there  a  time  xvhen  a  person  will 
cease  to  learn ?  Yes,  xvhen  he  has  sinned  against  God  the 
Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost—God's 
minister;  when  he  has  denied  the  Lord,  defied  him  and 
committed  the  sin  that  m  the  Bible  is  termed  the  unpardon- 
able sin— the  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost  That  is  the  time 
when  a  person  will  cease  to  learn,  and  from  that  time  forth, 
will  descend  in  ignorance,  forgetting  that  which  they 
formerly  knew.  They  will  cease  to  increase,  but  must 
decrease.  These  are  the  only  characters  who  will  ever 
cease  to  learn,  both  in  time  and  eternity  3:203 

I  ask,  have  the  great  and  learned  men  completed  their 
education  ?  No,  they  are  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  1 .70. 

I  will  not  say,  as  do  many,  that  the  more  I  learn  the 
more  I  atn  satisfied  that  I  know  nothing,  for  the  more  I 
learn  the  more  I  discern  an  eternity  of  knowledge  to  im- 
prove upon. 


EDUCATION  385 

One  scholar  in  a  school  may  far  outstrip  the  rest;  but 
give  them  sufficient  time,  and  they  can  learn  what  the 
quick,  bright  scholar  has  learned  so  easily  and  quickly.  If 
we  are  capacitated  to  learn  one  thing  today,  we  can  learn 
another  tomorrow.  It  is  the  height  of  folly  to  say  that  a 
man  can  only  learn  so  much  and  no  more  The  further  lit- 
erary men  advance  in  their  studies,  the  more  they  discern 
there  is  to  learn,  and  the  more  anxious  they  are  to  learn 

We  may  live  here  year  after  year,  and  store  up  knowl- 
edge all  the  time,  and  yet  not  have  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
hibiting it  to  others  j  it  is  on  hand ;  whenever  the  time  comes 
it  should  be  used.  6  274. 

Experience  has  taught  us  that  it  requires  time  to  acquire 
certain  branches  of  mechanism,  also  all  principles  and 
ideas  that  we  wish  to  become  masters  of  The  closer  peo- 
ple apply  their  minds  to  any  correct  purpose  the  faster  they 
can  grow  and  increase  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  When 
they  learn  to  master  their  feelings,  they  can  soon  learn  to 
master  their  reflections  and  thoughts  in  the  degree  requisite 
for  attaining  the  objects  they  are  seeking.  But  while  they 
yield  to  a  feeling  or  spirit  that  distracts  their  minds  from 
a  subject  they  wish  to  study  and  learn,  so  long  they  will 
never  gain  the  mastery  of  their  minds  6 :94. 

No  matter  what  your  circumstances  are,  whether  you 
are  in  prosperity  or  in  adversity,  you  can  learn  from  every 
person,  transaction,  and  circumstance  around  you.  4:287. 

Effects  of  Education— The  results  of  the  education  and 
traditions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  are  interwoven 
with  their  feelings,  and  are  like  a  cloak  that  envelops  them, 
in  the  capacity  of  societies,  neighborhoods,  people,  or  in- 
dividuals; they  frame  that  kind  of  government  and  relig- 


386  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

ion,  and  pursue  that  course  collectively  or  individually,  that 
seemeth  good  to  themselves    3  88. 

Every  principle  of  true  philosophy  convinces  a  person 
who  understands  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  and  has  received 
the  good  word  of  life,  that  the  darkness  is  in  proportion 
to  the  light  that  has  been  forsaken.  Rear  a  child  in  a  cell 
which  only  admits  a  small  glimmer  of  light,  and  the  child 
will  pass  its  time  with  some  degree  of  satisfaction,  when  a 
person  accustomed  to  the  bright  light  of  day  could  not  at 
first  see  anything  And  the  greater  the  light  bestowed 
upon  an  individual  or  upon  a  people,  the  greater  the  dark- 
ness \\hen  that  light  is  forsaken.  8  121 

Will  education  feed  and  clothe  you,  keep  you  warm  on 
a  cold  day,  or  enable  you  to  build  a  house ?  Not  at  all 
Should  we  cry  down  education  on  this  account  ?  No.  What 
is  it  for?  The  improvement  of  the  mind,  to  instruct  us  in 
all  arts  and  sciences,  in  the  history  of  the  world,  in  the  laws 
of  nations ;  to  enable  us  to  understand  the  laws  and  prin- 
ciples of  life,  and  how  to  be  useful  while  we  live.  14  83 

What  is  the  religion  of  the  day ?  What  are  all  the  civil 
laws  and  governments  of  the  day?  They  are  merely  tra- 
ditions, without  a  single  exception  Do  the  people  realize 
this — that  it  is  the  force  of  their  education  that  makes 
right  and  wrong  with  them ?  It  is  not  the  line  which  the 
Lord  has  drawn  out ,  it  is  not  the  law  which  the  Lord  has 
given  them ;  it  is  not  the  righteousness  which  is  according 
to  the  character  of  him  who  has  created  all  things,  and  by 
his  own  law  governs  and  controls  all  things;  but  by  the 
prejudice  of  education— the  prepossessed  feeling  that  is 
begotten  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men,  by  surround- 
ing objects  3 .86 

If  I  should  hear  a  man  advocate  the  erroneous  pnn- 


EDUCATION  387 

ciples  he  had  imbibed  through  education,  and  oppose  those 
principles,  some  might  imagine  that  I  was  opposed  to 
that  man,  when,  in  fact,  I  am  only  opposed  to  every  evil 
and  erroneous  principle  he  advances  6  331 

There  is  not  a  law  of  God,  nor  a  law  of  any  nation  that 
exercises  so  strong  an  influence  upon  us  as  do  our  tradi- 
tions at  times,  to  bind  us  to  certain  customs,  habits  and 
ceremonies.  8:58. 

Educate  our  Children — Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
obey  his  doctrine,  cease  your  warring  and  contention,  beat 
your  swords  into  ploughshares  and  your  spears  into  prun- 
ing hooks;  make  railroads,  build  colleges,  teach  the  chil- 
dren, give  them  the  learning  of  the  world  and  the  things 
of  God ,  elevate  their  minds,  that  they  may  not  only  under- 
stand the  earth  we  walk  upon,  but  the  air  we  breathe,  the 
water  we  drink,  and  all  the  elements  pertaining  to  the  earth , 
and  then  search  other  worlds,  and  become  acquainted  with 
the  planetary  system,  the  dwellings  of  the  angels  and  the 
heavenly  beings,  that  they  may  ultimately  be  prepared  for 
a  higher  state  of  being,  and  finally  be  associated  with  them 
I  wish  we  would  do  it;  I  pray  the  Lord  to  do  it,  but  he  will 
not,  unless  we  help  him.  14  210. 

The  education  of  our  children  is  worthy  of  our  atten- 
tion, and  the  instruction  of  the  Elders  from  this  stand  It 
is  a  subject  that  should  be  thoroughly  impressed  upon  the 
minds  of  parents  and  the  rising  generation ;  and  those  who 
wish  to  preach  from  this  text  may  do  so.  13 .262. 

It  is  a  duty  we  owe  to  our  children  to  educate  and 
train  them  in  every  principle  of  honor  and  good  manners, 
in  a  knowledge  of  God  and  his  ways,  and  in  popular  school 
education.  I  am  happy  to  hear  the  little  children  sing,  and 


388  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

hope  they  are  also  learning  to  read  and  write,  and  are  pro- 
gressing in  every  useful  branch  of  learning  11 .111. 

See  that  your  children  are  properly  educated  in  the  rudi- 
ments of  their  mother  tongue,  and  then  let  them  proceed 
to  higher  branches  of  learning;  let  them  become  more  in- 
formed in  every  department  of  true  and  useful  learning 
than  their  fathers  are  When  they  have  become  well  ac- 
quainted with  their  language,  let  them  study  other  lan- 
guages, and  make  themselves  fully  acquainted  with  the 
manners,  customs,  laws,  governments  and  literature  of 
other  nations,  peoples,  and  tongues.  Let  them  also  learn 
all  the  tiuth  pertaining  to  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  how 
to  apply  the  same  to  their  temporal  wants  Let  them  study 
things  that  are  upon  the  earth,  that  are  in  the  earth,  and 
that  are  in  the  heavens,  8.9.  - 

I  wish  this  people  to  pay  particular  attention  to  the 
education  of  their  children.  If  we  can  do  no  more,  we 
should  gh  e  them  the  facilities  of  a  common  education,  that 
when  our  sons  are  sent  into  the  world  as  ministers  of  sal- 
vation and  as  representatives  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  the 
mountains,  they  can  mingle  with  the  best  society  and  in- 
telligibly and  sensibly  present  the  principles  of  truth  to 
mankind,  for  all  truth  is  the  offspring  of  heaven,  and  is 
incorporated  in  the  religion  which  we  have  embraced/ 

Every  accomplishment,  every  polished  grace,  every  use- 
ful attainment  in  mathematics,  music,  and  in  all  science  and 
art  belongs  to  the  Saints,  and  they  should  avail  themselves 
as  expeditiously  as  possible  of  the  wealth  of  knowledge  the 
sciences  offer  to  every  diligent  and  persevering  scholar. 
10  224. 

The  education  of  youth  is  an  important  text  for  the 
brethren  to  preach  from  A  very  high  value  should  be 


EDUCATION  389 

placed  upon  it  by  the  Saints  We  have  the  privilege  of 
enjoying  the  spirit  of  revelation  and  the  knowledge  which 
comes  from  above,  and  in  addition  to  this,,  every  branch  of 
education  known  in  the  world  should  be  taught  among  and 
acquired  by  us  13 '263 

My  policy  is  to  keep  everybody  busy  in  building  up  this 
Kingdom ,  m  building  houses ,  in  breaking  up  land ;  m  set- 
ting out  fruit  and  ornamental  trees ,  in  laying  out  fine  gar- 
dens, pleasant  walks,  and  beautiful  groves;  and  in  build- 
ing academies  and  other  places  of  learning 

There  are  hundreds  of  young  men  here  who  can  go  to 
school,  which  is  far  better  than  to  waste  their  time  Study 
languages,  get  knowledge  and  understanding,  and  while 
doing  this,  get  wisdom  from  God,  and  forget  it  not,  and 
learn  how  to  apply  it,  that  you  may  be  good  with  it  all  the 
days  of  your  lives,  2 :145. 

Establish  Schools — Is  it  not  a  blessing  to  have  schools 
in  our  community,  where  our  teachers  can  teach  our  chil- 
dren correct  principles,  and  impart  to  them  education  that 
will  be  useful?  892, 

Let  a  few  schools  be  started  by  those  who  are  capable 
of  teaching  the  sciences  The  science  of  architecture,  for 
instance,  is  worthy  the  attention  of  every  student  It 
yields  a  gieat  amount  of  real  pleasure  to  be  able  to  under- 
stand the  grand  architectural  designs  of  those  magnificent 
structures  that  are  scattered  over  Europe  and  other  coun- 
tries, 9.173. 

Go  to  work  and  start  some  schools,  go  to  school  and 
study ,  have  the  girls  go,  and  teach  them  chemistry,  so  that 
they  can  take  any  of  these  rocks  and  analyze  them.  The 
sciences  can  be  learned  without  much  difficulty.  I  want  to 
have  schools  to  entertain  the  minds  of  the  people  and  draw 


390  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

them  out  to  learn  the  arts  and  sciences  Send  the  old  chil- 
dren to  school,  and  the  young  ones  also;  there  is  nothing 
I  would  like  better  than  to  learn  chemistry,  botany,  geology, 
and  mineralogy,  so  that  I  could  tell  what  I  walk  on,  the 
properties  of  the  air  I  breathe,  what  I  drink,  etc.  16:170. 

Let  our  teachers  ask  the  Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
to  bestow  upon  them  and  upon  their  scholars  the  Spirit  of 
wisdom  and  intelligence  from  heaven;  ask  for  skill  to 
control  and  ability  to  teach  on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  and 
willingness  to  be  controlled  and  adaptibility  to  be  taught 
on  the  part  of  the  scholars  Let  parents  aid  the  teacher  in 
his  labors,  by  seeing  that  their  children  attend  school  punc- 
tually, with  a  proper  supply  of  books,  slates,  pencils,  etc  , 
and  permit  not  a  good  diligent,  faithful  school-teacher  to 
suffer  for  the  common  necessaries  of  life,  while  he  is  labor- 
ing to  educate  and  bless  their  children  9  -369 

I  will  now  urge  it  upon  the  people— the  young  men  and 
middle-aged—to  get  up  schools  and  study  If  they  are  dis- 
posed to  study  physic  or  surgery,  all  right;  they  will  know 
then  what  to  do  if  a  person  is  sickly,  or  has  his  elbow,  wrist, 
or  shoulder  put  out  of  joint,  or  his  arm  or  any  bone  broken 
It  is  just  as  important  to  learn  such  things  as  it  is  to  learn 
to  plant  potatoes.  Pay  more  attention  to  arithmetic  and 
other  things  that  are  useful,  instead  of  acquiring  a  little 
French  and  German  and  other  fanciful  studies  that  are  not 
of  so  much  practical  importance  I  do  not  know  how  long 
it  will  be  before  we  call  upon  the  brethren  and  sisters  to 
enter  upon  business  in  an  entirely  different  way  from  what 
they  have  done.  I  have  been  an  advocate  for  our  printing 
to  be  done  by  females,  and  as  for  men  being  in  stores,  you 
might  as  well  set  them  to  knitting  stockings  as  to  sell  tape. 
Such  business  ought  to  be  done  by  the  sisters.  It  would 


EDUCATION  391 

enable  them  to  sustain  themselves,  and  would  be  far  better 
than  for  them  to  spend  their  time  in  the  parlor  or  in  walking 
the  streets  Hardy  men  have  no  business  behind  the  coun- 
ter, they  who  are  not  able  to  hoe  potatoes,  go  to  the  canyon, 
cut  down  the  trees,  saw  the  lumber,  etc ,  can  attend  to  that 
business  Study  arithmetic  and  bookkeeping  Introduce 
stenography  into  every  school ,  it  is  an  excellent  thing  to 
learn.  By  its  means  we  can  commit  our  thoughts  and  re- 
flections to  paper  with  ease  and  rapidity,  and  thus  preserve 
that  which  will  be  of  benefit  to  ourselves  and  others,  and 
which  would  otherwise  be  forever  lost.  Introduce  every 
kind  of  useful  studies  into  our  schools.  Get  up  classes  for 
the  study  of  law  The  laws  of  this  Territory,  of  the  United 
States,  of  the  different  States,  of  England,  and  foreign  lands 
Do  this  instead  of  riding  over  the  prairies  hunting  and  wast- 
ing your  time,  which  is  property  that  belongs  to  the  Lord 
our  God,  and  if  we  do  not  make  good  use  of  it  we  shall  be 
held  accountable  12  31-32. 

Let  good  schools  be  established  throughout  all  the  set- 
tlements of  the  Saints  in  Utah.  Let  good  teachers,  who 
are  Latter-day  Saints  in  principle  and  at  heart,  be  em- 
ployed to  educate  our  children.  A  good  school  teacher  is 
one  of  the  most  essential  members  in  society;  he  relieves 
parents,  in  part,  of  a  great  responsibility  and  labor;  we 
should,  therefore,  make  the  business  of  school  teaching  a 
permanent  institution,  and  the  remuneration  should  be  in 
amount  and  in  kind  equal  to  the  receipts  of  our  best  me- 
chanics ;  it  should  also  be  promptly  and  willingly  paid,  and 
school  commissioners  and  trustees  should  see  to  it  that 
teachers  are  properly  qualified  and  do  earn  their  pay. 
Could  I  have  my  wish,  I  would  introduce  into  our  sys- 
tem of  education  every  real  improvement.  10*225 


392  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Understand  men  and  women  as  they  are,  and  not  un- 
derstand them  as  you  are.  8 .37. 

What  to  Study— It  is  our  privilege  and  our  duty  to 
search  all  things  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  learn  what 
there  is  for  man  to  enjoy,  what  God  has  ordained  for  the 
benefit  and  happiness  of  mankind,  and  then  make  use  of 
it  without  sinning  against  him.  9 '243. 

Learn  everything  that  the  children  of  men  know,  and 
be  prepared  for  the  most  refined  society  upon  the  face  of 
the  earth,  then  improve  upon  this  until  we  are  prepared 
and  permitted  to  enter  the  society  of  the  blessed — the  holy 
angels  that  dwell  in  the  presence  of  God,  for  our  God,  be- 
cause of  his  purity,  is  a  consuming  fire.  16:77. 

We  should  be  a  people  of  profound  learning  pertaining 
to  the  things  of  the  world.  We  should  be  familiar  with  the 
various  languages,  for  we  wish  to  send  missionaries  to  the 
different  nations  and  to  the  islands  of  the  sea.  We  wish 
missionaries  who  may  go  to  France  to  be  able  to  speak  the 
French  language  fluently,  and  those  who  may  go  to  Ger- 
many, Italy,  Spain,  and  so  on  to  all  nations,  to  be  familiar 
with  the  languages  of  those  nations 

We  also  wish  them  to  understand  the  geography,  hab- 
its, customs,  and  laws  of  nations  and  kingdoms,  whether 
they  be  barbarians  or  civilized.  This  is  recommended  in 
the  revelations  given  to  us.  In  them  we  are  taught  to 
study  the  best  books,  that  we  may  become  as  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  geography  of  the  world  as  we  are  with 
our  gardens,  and  as  families  with  the  people — so  far  at 
least  as  they  are  portrayed  in  print — as  we  are  with  our 
families  and  neighbors  8:40 

How  gladly  would  we  understand  every  principle  per- 
taining to  science  and  art,  and  become  thoroughly  ac- 


EDUCATION  393 

quainted  with  every  intricate  operation  of  nature,  and  with 
all  the  chemical  changes  that  are  constantly  going  on 
around  us'  How  delightful  this  would  be,  and  what  a 
boundless  field  of  truth  and  power  is  open  for  us  to  ex- 
plore' We  are  only  just  approaching  the  shores  of  the 
vast  ocean  of  information  that  pertains  to  this  physical 
world,  to  say  nothing  of  that  which  pertains  to  the  heavens, 
to  angels  and  celestial  beings,  to  the  place  of  their  habita- 
tion, to  the  manner  of  their  life,  and  their  progress  to  still 
higher  degrees  of  perfection.  9*167. 

Our  education  should  be  such  as  to  improve  our  minds 
and  fit  us  for  increased  usefulness ,  to  make  us  of  greater 
service  to  the  human  family ;  to  enable  us  to  stop  our  rude 
methods  of  living,  speaking,  and  thinking  14  83. 

Learn  to  be  good  for  something     11  298 

If  we  could  only  learn  enough  to  be  self-preserving  and 
self-sustaining,  we  should  then  have  learned  what  the  Gods 
have  learned  before  us,  and  what  we  must  eventually  learn 
before  we  can  be  exalted  9  169 

Learn  all  you  can  Learn  how  to  raise  calves,  chickens, 
lambs,  and  all  kinds  of  useful  fowls  and  animals ;  learn  how 
to  till  the  ground  to  the  best  advantage  for  raising  all  use- 
ful products  of  the  soil ;  and  learn  how  to  manufacture  mo- 
lasses and  sugar  from  the  sugar-cane  Raise  flax,  husbands, 
and  let  your  wives  learn  to  manufacture  fine  linen.  9 .173 

Let  the  boys  from  ten  to  twenty  years  of  age  get  up 
schools  to  learn  sword  exercise,  musket  and  rifle  exercise, 
and,  in  short,  every  act  of  war.  Shall  we  need  this  knowl- 
edge7 No  matter;  it  is  good  to  be  acquainted  with  this 
kind  of  exercise.  9.173 

If  I  could  get  my  own  feelings  answered  I  would  have 
law  in  our  school  books,  and  have  our  youth  study  law  at 


394  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

school.  Then  lead  their  minds  to  study  the  decisions  and 
counsels  of  the  just  and  the  wise,  and  not  forever  be  study- 
ing how  to  get  the  advantage  of  their  neighbor.  This  is 
wisdom.  16  9. 

I  have  a  few  things  to  lay  before  the  Conference,  one  of 
which  is— and  I  think  my  brethren  will  agree  with  me  that 
this  is  wise  and  practicable— for  from  one  to  five  thousand 
of  our  young  and  middle-aged  men  to  turn  their  attention 
to  the  study  of  law  I  would  not  speak  lightly  in  the  least 
of  law,  we  are  sustained  by  it ,  but  what  is  called  the  prac- 
tice of  law  is  not  always  the  administration  of  justice,  and 
would  not  be  so  considered  in  many  courts  16  9 

Every  Elder  should  have  at  least  one  trade,  and  if  pos- 
sible more  than  one.  10  77 

I  am  happy  to  see  our  children  engaged  in  the  study  and 
practice  of  music.  Let  them  be  educated  in  every  useful 
branch  of  learning,  for  we,  as  a  people,  have  in  the  future 
to  excel  the  nations  of  the  earth  in  religion,  science  and 
philosophy  Great  advancement  has  been  made  in  knowl- 
edge by  the  learned  of  this  world,  still  there  is  yet  much 
to  learn.  The  hidden  powers  of  nature  which  give  life, 
growth,  and  existence  to  all  things  have  not  yet  been  ap- 
proached by  the  wisdom  of  this  world.  There  exists  around 
us,  in  the  works  of  God,  an  everlasting  variety— no  two 
leaves,  no  two  blades  of  grass  are  alike.  Natural  philos- 
ophy, so  far  as  known,  marks  these  phenomena  of  nature, 
and  reveals  her  wonders,  but  is  incapable  of  revealing  the 
modus  operandi  of  the  production. 

Let  the  children  in  our  schools  be  taught  everything 
that  is  necessary  with  regard  to  doctrine  and  principle,  and 
then  how  to  live;  and  let  mothers  teach  their  daughters  re- 
garding themselves,  and  how  they  should  live  in  their 


EDUCATION  395 

sphere  of  existence,  that  they  may  be  good  wives  and  good 
mothers.  Let  the  sisters  study  economy  in  the  labor  and 
management  of  their  homes  I  am  satisfied  that  more  than 
one-half  of  the  labor  that  is  done  m  our  houses  can  be  saved 
by  a  judicious  exercise  of  thought  and  good  judgment 
Then  be  wise  In  these  things,  and  we  shall  not  need  tea 
and  coffee,  or  any  other  stimulant  stronger  than  our  nat- 
ural food  12:122-123, 

Study  to  apply  your  labor  to  advantage,  and  you  will 
accomplish  much  more,  without  wearing  yourselves  out  so 
fast  If  you  have  to  roll  a  log,  cut  down  a  tree,  etc ,  study 
how  to  take  advantage  of  the  work,  Contrive  to  accom- 
plish your  work  with  the  least  expenditure  of  strength 
8297. 

I  would  advise  you  to  read  books  that  are  worth  read- 
ing, read  reliable  history,  and  search  wisdom  out  of  the 
best  books  you  can  procure.  9.173. 

"Shall  I  sit  down  and  read  the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, and  the  Book  of  Covenants  all  the  time?"  says  one. 
Yes,  if  you  please,  and  when  you  have  done,  you  may  be 
nothing  but  a  sectarian  after  all  It  is  your  duty  to  study  to 
know  everything  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  in  addition  to 
reading  those  books  We  should  not  only  study  good,  and 
its  effects  upon  our  race,  but  also  evil,  and  its  consequences. 
2-93-94 

All  men  should  study  to  learn  the  nature  of  mankind, 
and  to  discern  that  divinity  inherent  in  them,  A  spirit  and 
power  of  research  is  planted  within,  yet  they  remain  un- 
developed 7:1. 

Novel  reading— is  it  profitable?  I  would  rather  that 
persons  read  novels  than  read  nothing.  9  *173 

I  hope  to  see  the  time  when  we  shall  have  a  reforma- 


396  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

tion  in  the  orthography  of  the  English  language,  among  this 
people,  for  it  is  greatly  needed.  Such  a  reformation  would 
be  a  great  benefit,  and  would  make  the  acquirement  of  an 
education  much  easier  than  at  present  12-174 

I  long  for  the  time  that  a  point  of  the  finger,  or  motion 
of  the  hand,  will  express  every  idea  without  utterance 
When  a  man  is  full  of  the  light  of  eternity,  then  the  eye  is 
not  the  only  medium  through  which  he  sees,  his  ear  is  not 
the  only  medium  by  which  he  hears,  nor  the  brain  the  only 
means  by  which  he  understands  When  the  whole  body  is 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  can  see  behind  him  with  as  much 
ease,  without  turning  his  head,  as  he  can  see  before  him 
If  you  have  not  that  experience,  you  ought  to  have  It  is 
not  the  optic  nerve  alone  that  gives  the  knowledge  of  sur- 
rounding objects  to  the  mind,  but  it  is  that  which  God  has 
placed  in  man— a  system  of  intelligence  that  attracts  knowl- 
edge, as  light  cleaves  to  light,  intelligence  to  intelligence, 
and  truth  to  truth.  It  is  this  which  lays  in  man  a  proper 
foundation  for  all  education.  I  shall  yet  see  the  time  that 
I  can  converse  with  this  people,  and  not  speak  to  them,  but 
the  expression  of  my  countenance  will  tell  the  congrega- 
tion what  I  wish  to  convey,  without  opening  my  mouth. 

Religious  Education— We  have  established  a  school  in 
Salt  Lake  City  for  the  instruction  of  the  Elders  of  Israel 
in  the  doctrines  which  are  contained  in  the  Bible,  Book  of 
Mormon,  and  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  etc.,  and 
that  is  also  the  place  where  questions  may  be  asked,  and< 
instructions  given  touching  all  doctrines  and  principles  that 
may  be  entertained  by  them  That  is  also  the  place  where 
correction  may  be  given  and  explanations  be  made  upon 
all  matters  which  pertain  to  the  temporal  and  spiritual  lives 


EDUCATION  397 

of  the  Saints  It  is  about  two  months  since  that  school 
was  established  12  159 

We  are  starting  the  School  of  the  Prophets  We  have 
been  in  this  school  all  the  time  The  revelations  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  the  human  family  are  all  the  learning 
we  can  ever  possess  Much  of  this  knowledge  is  obtained 
from  books,  which  have  been  written  by  men  who  have 
contemplated  deeply  on  various  subjects,  and  the  revelation 
of  Jesus  have  opened  their  minds,  whether  they  knew  it  or 
acknowledged  it  or  not  We  will  start  this  School  of  the 
Prophets  to  increase  in  knowledge.  12 '116. 

There  are  a  great  many  branches  of  education1  some 
go  to  college  to  learn  languages,  some  to  study  law,  some 
to  study  physic,  and  some  to  study  astronomy,  and  various 
other  branches  of  science.  We  want  every  branch  of  sci- 
ence taught  m  this  place  that  is  taught  in  the  world  But 
our  favorite  study  is  that  branch  which  particularly  belongs 
to  the  Elders  of  Israel— namely,  theology  Every  Elder 
should  become  a  profound  theologian — should  understand 
this  branch  better  than  all  the  world.  6  '317. 

The  Christian  world  is  actually  coming  to  the  point 
that  they  will  dismiss  the  Bible  from  their  schools,  and  by 
and  by  they  will  dismiss  it  from  their  pulpits  and  get  one 
to  suit  themselves,  they  will  hew  out  for  themselves  cis- 
terns that  will  hold  no  water,  13  213. 

Science  and  Religion — I  am  not  astonished  that  infidel- 
ity prevails  to  a  great  extent  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth,  for  the  religious  teachers  of  the  people  advance  many 
ideas  and  notions  for  truth  which  are  in  opposition  to  and 
contradict  facts  demonstrated  by  science,  and  which  are 
generally  understood  You  take,  for  instance,  our  geolo- 
gists, and  they  tell  us  that  this  earth  has  been  in  existence 


398  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

for  thousands  and  millions  of  years.  They  think,  and  they 
have  good  reason  for  their  faith,  that  their  researches  and 
investigations  enable  them  to  demonstrate  that  this  earth 
has  been  in  existence  as  long  as  they  assert  it  has;  and  they 
say,  "If  the  Lord,  as  religionists  declare,  made  the  earth 
out  of  nothing  in  six  days,  six  thousand  years  ago,  our 
studies  are  all  vain ,  but  by  what  we  can  learn  from  nature 
and  the  immutable  laws  of  the  Creator  as  revealed  therein, 
we  know  that  your  theories  are  incorrect  and  consequently 
we  must  reject  your  religions  as  false  and  vain;  we  must 
be  what  you  call  infidels,  with  the  demonstrated  truths  of 
science  in  our  possession;  or,  rejecting  those  truths,  be- 
come enthusiasts  in,  what  you  call,  Christianity." 

In  these  respects  we  differ  from  the  Christian  world,  for 
our  religion  will  not  clash  with  or  contradict  the  facts  of 
science  m  any  particular.  You  may  take  geology,  for  in- 
stance, and  it  is  true  science;  not  that  I  would  say  for  a 
moment  that  all  the  conclusions  and  deductions  of  its  pro- 
fessors are  true,  but  its  leading  principles  are;  they  are 
facts — they  are  eternal ;  and  to  assert  that  the  Lord  made 
this  earth  out  of  nothing  is  preposterous  and  impossible. 
God  never  made  something  out  of  nothing ;  it  is  not  in  the 
economy  or  law  by  which  the  worlds  were,  are,  or  will  exist. 
There  is  an  eternity  before  us,  and  it  is  full  of  matter;  and 
if  we  but  understand  enough  of  the  Lord  and  his  ways,  we 
would  say  that  he  took  of  this  matter  and  organized  this 
earth  fiom  it.  How  long  it  has  been  organized  it  is  not  for 
me  to  say,  and  I  do  not  care  anything  about  it  As  for  the 
Bible  account  of  the  creation  we  may  say  that  the  Lord 
gave  it  to  Moses  If  we  understood  the  process  of 
creation  there  would  be  no  mystery  about  it,  it  would  be 
all  reasonable  and  plain,  for  there  is  no  mystery  except  to 


EDUCATION  399 

the  ignorant  This  we  know  by  what  we  have  learned 
naturally  since  we  have  had  a  being  on  the  earth  We  can 
now  take  a  hymn  book  and  read  its  contents ;  but  if  we  had 
never  learned  letters  and  knew  nothing  about  type  or  paper 
or  their  uses,  and  should  take  up  a  book  and  look  at  it,  it 
would  be  a  great  mystery;  and  still  more  so  would  it  be 
to  see  a  person  read  line  after  line,  and  give  expression 
therefrom  to  the  sentiments  of  himself  or  others  But  this 
is  no  mystery  to  us  now,  because  we  have  learned  our  let- 
ters, and  then  learned  to  place  those  letters  into  syllables, 
the  syllables  into  words,  and  the  words  into  sentences 

Fifty  or  a  hundred  years  ago,  if  any  one  had  told  the 
people  of  the  East  Indies  that  water  could  be  congealed, 
and  form  ice  'so  thick  and  hard  that  you  could  walk  on 
and  drive  teams  over  it,  they  would  probably  have  said, 
"We  do  not  believe  a  word  of  it"  Why?  Because  they 
did  not  know  anything  about  it  A  proper  reply  for  all 
mankind  to  make  under  similar  circumstances  would  be, 
"We  do  not  know  anything  about  what  you  say,  and  do 
not  know  whether  we  should  have  faith  in  it  or  not.  Per- 
haps we  should,  but  we  have  no  evidence  at  present  on 
which  to  found  such  a  belief."  You  go  down  south  here 
among  some  of  our  native  Indian  tribes,  where  some  of  the 
very  best  of  blankets  are  made,  and  you  will  find  them 
twisting  their  yarn  with  their  fingers  and  little  sticks,  and 
their  loom  attached  to  the  limbs  of  trees  for  weaving  pur- 
poses. Show  them  a  loom  such  as  white  people  use,  and 
it  would  be  a  perfect  mystery  to  them.  Sixty  or  seventy 
years  ago  a  loom  worked  by  water  power  would  have  been 
a  mystery  to  an  American,  but  there  is  no  mystery  in  that 
today,  because  the  process  is  understood.  So  it  is  with  the 
East  Indians  and  ice,  for  the  chemist  now,  by  a  chemical 


400  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

process,  will  congeal  the  water  and  make  ice  of  it  before 
their  eyes,  and  it  is  in  this  way,  by  testimony,  evidence,  and 
demonstration  that  ignorance  and  piejudice  are  removed, 
faith  implanted  and  knowledge  acquired.  It  is  so  with  re- 
gard to  all  the  facts  in  existence  that  we  do  not  understand 
14115 

There  is  no  ingenious  mind  that  has  ever  invented  any- 
thing beneficial  to  the  human  family  but  what  he  obtained 
it  from  the  one  Source,  whether  he  knows  or  believes  it 
or  not  There  is  only  one  Source  whence  men  obtain 
wisdom,  and  that  is  God,  the  Fountain  of  all  wisdom,  and 
though  men  may  claim  to  make  their  discoveries  by  their 
own  wisdom,  by  meditation  and  reflection,  they  are  in- 
debted to  our  Father  in  Heaven  for  all  13 .148 

It  has  been  observed  here  this  morning  that  we  are 
called  fanatics.  Bless  me!  That  is  nothing.  Who  has  not 
been  called  a  fanatic  who  has  discovered  anything  new  in 
philosophy  or  science?  We  have  all  read  of  Galileo  the 
astronomer,  who,  contrary  to  the  system  of  astronomy  that 
had  been  received  for  ages  before  his  day,  taught  that  the 
sun,  and  not  the  earth,  was  the  center  of  our  planetary  sys- 
tem ?  For  this  the  learned  astronomer  was  called  "fanatic," 
and  subjected  to  persecution  and  imprisonment  of  the  most 
rigorous  character.  So  it  has  been  with  others  who  have 
discovered  and  explained  new  truths  in  science  and  phil- 
osophy which  have  been  in  opposition  to  long-established 
theories,  and  the  opposition  they  have  encountered  has 
endured  until  the  truth  of  their  discoveries  has  been  demon- 
strated by  time.  The  term  "fanatic"  is  not  applied  to  pro- 
fessors of  religion  only  How  was  it  with  Dr.  Morse,  when 
shut  up  in  the  attic  of  an  old  building  m  Baltimore  for  more 


EDUCATION  401 

than  a  year,  with  a  little  wire  stretched  round  the  room, 
experimenting  upon  it  with  his  battery,  he  told  a  friend  that 
by  means  of  that  he  could  sit  there  and  talk  to  Congress  in 
Washington?  Was  he  not  considered  a  fanatic,  and  wild, 
and  crazy ?  Certainly  he  was;  and  so  it  was  with  Robert 
Fulton,  when  he  was  conducting  his  experiments  with  steam 
and  endeavoring  to  apply  it  so  as  to  propel  a  vessel  through 
the  water  And  all  great  discoverers  in  art,  science,  or 
mechanism  have  been  denounced  as  fanatics  and  crazy ;  and 
it  has  been  declared  by  their  contemporaries  that  they  did 
not  know  what  they  were  saying,  and  they  were  thought 
to  be  almost  as  wild  and  incoherent*  as  the  generality  of 
the  people  now  think  George  Francis  Train  to  be.  13 .270. 

How  difficult  it  is  to  teach  the  natural  man,  who  com- 
prehends nothing  more  than  that  which  he  sees  with  the 
natural  eye !  How  hard  it  is  for  him  to  believe !  How  diffi- 
cult would  be  the  task  to  make  the  philosopher,  who,  for 
many  years,  has  argued  himself  into  the  belief  that  his 
spirit  is  no  more  after  his  body  sleeps  in  the  grave,  believe 
that  his  intelligence  came  from  eternity,  and  is  as  eternal, 
in  its  nature,  as  the  elements,  or  as  the  Gods,  Such  doc- 
trine by  him  would  be  considered  vanity  and  foolishness, 
it  would  be  entirely  beyond  his  comprehension.  It  is  diffi- 
cult, indeed,  to  remove  an  opinion  or  belief  into  which  he 
has  argued  himself  from  the  mind  of  the  natural  man.  Talk 
to  him  about  angels,  heavens,  God,  immortality,  and  eter- 
nal lives,  and  it  is  like  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cym- 
bal to  his  ears ;  it  has  no  music  to  him ,  there  is  nothing  in 
it  that  charms  his  senses,  soothes  his  feelings,  attracts  his 
attention,  or  engages  his  affections,  in  the  least,  to  him  it 
is  all  vanity.  1 :2. 


402  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

True  principles  will  abide,  while  all  false  principles  will 
fall  with  those  uho  choose  and  cleave  to  them  7  65 

We  should  seek  substantial  information,  and  trust  little 
to  that  kind  of  so-called  learning  that  is  based  upon  theory. 
We  should  pluck  fruit  from  the  tree  of  knowledge,  and 
taste,  then  shall  our  eyes  be  open  to  see,  our  ears  to  hear 
and  our  hearts  to  understand,  I  would  recommend  the 
same  course  to  those  who  have  not  embraced  and  tasted 
the  sweets  of  "Moi  monism  "  \Ve  should  get  wisdom  by 
reading  and  by  study.  We  should  introduce  the  best  books 
into  our  schools  for  the  education  and  improvement  of  our 
children,  Let  our  school  teachers  seek  constantly  to  fasten 
upon  the  young  mind  useful  information,  and  banish  from 
their  schools,  every  study  that  only  tends  to  perplex  the 
student  and  waste  his  valuable  time.  9  369 

The  Body  and  the  Mind— Some  think  too  much,  and 
should  labor  more,  others  labor  too  much  and  should  think 
more,  and  thus  maintain  an  equilibrium  between  the  mental 
and  physical  members  of  the  individual;  then  you  will  en- 
joy health  and  vigor,  will  be  active,  and  ready  to  discern 
truly,  and  judge  quickly.  Men  who  do  much  thinking, 
philosophers  for  instance,  should  apply  their  bodies  to  more 
manual  labor  in  order  to  make  their  bodies  more  healthy 
and  their  minds  more  vigorous  and  active,  3  '248. 

Studies  in  Sunday  Schools — We  wish  in  our  Sunday  and 
day  schools,  that  they  who  are  inclined  to  any  particular 
branch  of  study  may  have  the  privilege  to  study  it.  13 ,61 

Wisdom—- The  person  that  applies  his  heart  to  wisdom, 
and  seeks  diligently  for  understanding,  will  grow  to  be 
mighty  in  Israel  3 .363. 

Let  wisdom  be  sown  in  your  hearts,  and  let  it  bring 
forth  a  bountiful  harvest  It  is  more  profitable  to  you  than 


EDUCATION  403 

all  the  gold  and  silver  and  other  riches  of  earth.  Let  wis- 
dom spring  up  in  your  hearts,  and  cultivate  it.  8  140. 

After  all  our  endeavors  to  obtain  wisdom  from  the  best 
books,  etc,  there  still  remains  an  open  fountain  for  all,  "If 
any  man  lack  wisdom  let  him  ask  of  God."  Let  every  Lat- 
ter-day Saint  constantly  practice  himself  in  the  perform- 
ance of  every  good  word  and  work,  to  acknowledge  God  to 
be  God,  to  be  strict  in  keeping  his  laws,  and  learning  to 
love  mercy,  eschew  evil  and  delight  in  constantly  doing 
that  which  is  pleasing  to  God.  This  is  the  only  sure  way  to 
obtain  influence  with  God  and  all  good  men.  9:370. 

As  we  prepare  materials  to  build  a  house  or  temple,  so 
man  can  prepare  himself  for  the  reception  of  eternal  wis- 
dom. We  go  where  the  materials  for  a  house  are,  and  pre- 
pare them  to  answer  our  purpose ;  so  we  may  go  to  where 
eternal  wisdom  dwells  and  there  diligently  seek  to  possess 
it,  for  its  price  is  above  rubies.  9 :250. 

Who  is  it  that  understands  wisdom  before  God?  In 
some  respects  we  have  to  define  it  for  ourselves — each  for 
himself — according  to  our  own  views,  judgment  and  faith, 
and  the  observance  of  the  Word  of  Wisdom  or  the  inter- 
pretation of  God's  requirements  on  this  subject,  must  be 
left  partially,  with  the  people.  14:20. 

It  is  our  privilege  to  be  as  wise  in  our  generation  as  the 
children  of  this  world ;  and  not  only  so,  but  it  is  our  duty  to 
be  as  wise  in  our  generation  as  the  children  of  this  world. 
We  have  the  true  light  and  knowledge'  and  we  ought  to 
know  as  much  as  the  philosophical  world,  or  as  any  other 
people  on  the  earth.  We  ought  at  least  to  know  as  much 
about  politics  as  do  the  political  world,  or  as  do  any  other 
people.  I  expect  that  we  do;  and  if  we  only  apply  our 
minds  in  the  proper  time  and  channel,  we  know  as  much 


404  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

about  the  Christian  world  as  do  any  other  people,  and  we 
ought  to  know  as  much  about  the  whole  world  as  do  any 
other  people.  In  fact,  we  ought  to  know  more  upon  all 
those  matters  than  any  other  people;  for  we  are  privileged 
with  far  superior  advantages,  through  faith  and  obedience 
to  the  Gospel  4-356 

We  pray  for  wisdom,  but  God  will  as  soon  put  bread  and 
meat  in  our  cupboards  without  any  endeavor  of  ours,  as  he 
will  give  us  wisdom  without  our  trying  to  get  it  If  a  man 
wants  a  farm,  let  him  make  it ;  if  he  wishes  an  orchard  he 
plants  it;  if  he  wants  a  house  for  his  family  to  live  in,  he 
must  gather  the  materials  and  build  it  He  will  give  us 
wisdom  in  these  things,  but  he  will  not  come  down  to  do 
the  manual  labor.  9  250. 

This  people  are  increasing  in  the  wisdom  which  cometh 
from  God,  and  their  power  to  organize  the  crude  elements 
around  them  into  the  necessaries  of  life  is  in  ratio  to  their 
increase  of  intelligence  and  application  of  labor.  In  this 
way  we  ought  to  understand  these  great  principles.  We 
need  not  seek  for  a  revelation  to  know  how  to  make  cloth, 
when  the  mode  is  plainly  marked  before  pur  eyes.  Sheep 
produce  a  textile  material,  and  how  to  make  it  into  cloth 
has  been  known  time  out  of  mind,  we  can  raise  sheep  in 
abundance  I  do  not  look  for  power  from  the  heavens  that 
will  produce  for  us  wool,  cloth,  iron,  food,  or  anything  we 
need,  without  being  made  with  hands  We  should  under- 
stand what  is  required  of  us  to  sustain  ourselves.  9  255 

It  is  the  privilege  of  man  to  search  out  the  wisdom  of 
God  pertaining  to  the  earth  and  the  heavens.  9  242. 

Real  wisdom  is  a  real  pleasure;  real  wisdom,  prudence, 
and  understanding,  is  a  real  comfort  19  96 

I  want  our  children  to  go  and  hear  all  there  is  to  hear, 


EDUCATION  405 

for  the  whole  sum  of  it  will  be  wound  up  as  I  once  heard 
one  of  the  finest  speakers  America  has  ever  produced  say, 
when  speaking  on  the  soul  of  man.  After  laboring  long  on 
the  subject,  he  straightened  himself  up — he  was  a  fine  look- 
ing man — and,  said  he,  "My  brethren  and  sisters,  I  must 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  soul  of  man  is  an  imma- 
terial substance  "  Said  I,  "Bah!"  14-198. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
SELF  CONTROL 

The  Will  of  Man— -You  call  it  will  It  is  the  divinity 
God  has  placed  in  his  intelligent  creatures.  8  209 

Have  we  a  will?  Yes.  It  is  an  endowment,  a  trait  of 
the  character  of  the  Gods,  with  which  all  intelligence  is  en- 
dowed, in  heaven  and  on  earth,— the  power  to  accept  or 
reject  9:106. 

God  has  placed  within  us  a  will,  and  we  should  be  satis- 
fied to  have  it  controlled  by  the  will  of  the  Almighty  Let 
the  human  will  be  indomitable  for  right.  It  has  been  the 
custom  of  parents  to  break  the  will  until  it  is  weakened, 
and  the  noble,  God-like  powers  of  the  child  are  reduced  to 
a  comparative  state  of  imbecility  and  cowardice.  Let  that 
heaven-born  property  of  human  agents  be  properly  tem- 
pered and  wisely  directed,  instead  of  pursuing  the  opposite 
course,  and  it  will  conquer  in  the  cause  of  right.  Break 
not  the  spirit  of  any  person,  but  guide  it  to  feel  that  it  is 
its  greatest  delight  and  highest  ambition  to  be  controlled 
by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ,  then  the  will  of  man 
becomes  God-like  in  overcoming  the  evil  that  is  sown  in 
the  flesh,  until  God  shall  reign  within  us  to  will  and  do  of 
his  good  pleasure.  9:150. 

Take  people  in  every  capacity  of  life,  and  their  wills  are 
first  and  foremost.  You  can  gain  and  lead  the  affections 
of  the  people,  but  you  cannot  scare  them,  nor  whip  them, 
nor  burn  them  to  do  right  against  their  wills.  The  human 
family  will  die  to  gratify  their  wills.  Then  learn  to  rightly 
direct  those  wills,  and  you  can  direct  the  influence  and 
power  of  the  people.  8  363. 


SELF  CONTROL  407 

There  is  no  man  or  woman  on  the  earth  in  the  habit  of 
stealing,  but  what  can  cease  the  practice  right  square  if 
they  are  disposed  And  so  with  the  liar,  he  can  stop  lying, 
and  lie  no  more,  and  tell  the  truth.  It  only  wants  the  will 
to  do  it,  and  that  will  brought  into  exercise  to  enable  the 
liar  to  be  truthful,  the  thief  to  be  honest,  and  the  swearer 
to  stop  his  evil  speaking.  18:77, 

We  want  the  spirit,  knowledge,  power  and  principle 
within  us  to  govern  and  control  our  tempers;  there  is  no 
danger  of  having  too  much  if  we  will  only  control  them  by 
the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty.  Every  intelligent  being  on  the 
earth  is  tempered  for  glory,  beauty,  excellency  and  knowl- 
edge here,  and  for  immortality  and  eternal  lives  in  the 
worlds  to  come.  But  every  being  who  attains  to  this  must 
be  sanctified  before  God  and  be  completely  under  the  con- 
trol of  his  Spirit.  If  I  am  thus  controlled  by  the  -Spirit  of 
the  Most  High,  I  am  a  king,  I  am  supreme  so  far  as  the  con- 
trol of  self  is  concerned ;  and  it  also  enables  me  to  control 
my  wives  and  children.  And  when  they  thus  see  that  I  am 
under  the  government  and  control  of  the  good'Spint,  they 
will  be  perfectly  submissive  to  my  dictates.  13  '272. 

Now  I  charge  you  again,  and  I  charge  myself  not  to  get 
angry.  Never  let  anger  arise  in  your  hearts.  No,  Brigham, 
never  let  anger  arise  in  your  heart,  never,  never!  Although 
you  may  be  called  upon  to  chastise  and  to  speak  to  the  peo- 
ple sharply,  do  not  let  anger  arise  in  you,  no,  never!  14:156. 

Self  Control  Necessary — We  are  trying  to  govern  our- 
selves, and  if  we  continue  trying  and  faint  not,  we  shall 
assuredly  conquer.  11 :256. 

Let  the  people  study  to  bring  their  thinking  or  reflecting 
faculties  into  subjection,  6:94. 

Learn  to  control  yourselves ;  learn  to  be  in  the  hands  of 


408  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

God  as^clay  in  the  hands  of  the  potter,  and  if  he  will  turn 
our  enemies  away,  praised  be  his  name  But  if  it  should 
become  a  duty  to  take  the  sword,  let  us  do  it  manfully  and 
in  the  strength  of  Israel's  God.  5  229 

I  answer,  it  is  the  absolute  and  imperative  duty  of  the 
Elders  of  Israel  to  try  and  control  themselves  and  their 
families  and  their  brethren,  until  they  can  hold  control  over 
all  things  m  righteousness,  10:333. 

I  have  frequently  said  that  the  greatest  endowment  God 
ever  gave  to  man  is  good,  sound,  solid  sense  to  know  how 
to  govern  ourselves.  9  250. 

No  man  can  ever  become  a  ruler  in  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
until  he  can  perfectly  rule  himself,  then  is  he  capable  of 
raising  a  family  of  children  who  will  rise  up  and  call  him 
blessed  9:334, 

No  man  ever  did,  or  ever  will  rule  judiciously  on  this 
earth,  with  honor  to  himself  and  glory  to  his  God,  unless 
he  first  learn  to  rule  and  control  himself.  A  man  must  first 
learn  to  rule  himself  rightly  before  his  knowledge  can  be 
fully  brought  to  bear  for  the  correct  government  of  a  fam- 
ily, a  neighborhood,  or  nation,  over  which  it  is  his  lot  to 
preside.  3:256. 

In  this  probation,  we  have  evil  to  contend  with,  and  we 
must  overcome  it  m  ourselves,  or  we  never  shall  overcome 
it  anywhere  else  6:99. 

You  have  been  taught  the  standard  of  right.  Now  sub- 
due your  rebellious  passions,  dismiss  everything  that  you 
know  or  consider  to  be  wrong,  and  embrace  that  which  is 
better  6  74. 

Let  each  person  be  determined,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  to  overcome  every  besetment— to  be  the 
master  of  himself,  that  the  Spirit  God  has  put  in  your  tab- 


SELF  CONTROL  409 

ernacles  shall  rule;  then  you  can  converse,  live,  labor,  go 
here  or  there,  do  this  or  that,  and  converse  and  deal  with 
your  brethren  as  you  ought.  8:139. 

You  cannot  inherit  eternal  life,  unless  your  appetites  are 
brought  in  subjection  to  the  spirit  that  lives  within  you, 
that  spirit  which  our  Father  in  Heaven  gave.  I  mean  the 
Father  of  your  spirits,  of  those  spirits  which  he  has  put 
into  these  tabernacles.  The  tabernacle  must  be  brought  in 
subjection  to  the  spirit  perfectly,  or  your  bodies  cannot  be 
raised  to  inherit  eternal  life;  if  they  do  come  forth,  they 
must  dwell  in  a  lower  kingdom.  Seek  diligently,  until 
you  bring  all  into  subjection  to  the  law  of  Christ.  4.200. 

We  often  hear  people  excuse  themselves  for  their  un- 
couth manners  and  offensive  language,  by  remarking  "I  am 
no  hypocrite,"  thus  taking  to  themselves  credit  for  that 
which  is  really  no  credit  to  them.  When  evil  arises  within 
me,  let  me  throw  a  cloak  over  it,  subdue  it,  instead  of  act- 
ing it  out  upon  the  false  presumption  that  I  am  honest  and 
no  hypocrite.  Let  not  thy  tongue  give  utterance  to  the 
evil  that  is  in  thine  heart,  but  command  thy  tongue  to  be 
silent  until  good  shall  prevail  over  the  evil,  until  thy  wrath 
has  passed  away  and  the  good  Spirit  shall  move  thy  tongue 
to  blessings  and  words  of  kindness.  So  far  I  believe  in  be- 
ing a  hypocrite.  This  is  practical  with  me.  When  my  feel- 
ings are  aroused  to  anger  by  the  ill-doings  of  others,  I 
hold  them  as  I  would  hold  a  wild  horse,  and  I  gain  the  vic- 
tory. Some  think  and  say  that  it  makes  them  feel  better 
when  they  are  mad,  as  they  call  it,  to  give  vent  to  their 
madness  in  abusive  and  unbecoming  language.  This,  how- 
ever, is  a  mistake.  Instead  of  its  making  you  feel  better, 
it  is  making  bad  worse.  When  you-  think  and  say  it  makes 
you  better  you  give  credit  to  a  falsehobd.  When  the  wrath 


410  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  bitterness  of  the  human  heart  are  moulded  into  words 
and  hurled  with,  violence  at  one  another,  without  any  check 
or  hindrance,  the  fire  has  no  sooner  expended  itself  than  it 
is  again  re-kmdled  through  some  trifling  course,  until  the 
course  of  nature  is  set  on  fire;  "and  it  is  set  on  fire  of  hell " 
11:255. 

Be  patient,  do  not  murmur  at  the  dealings  of  Provi- 
dence. The  Lord  rules  in  the  heavens  and  ^  orks  his  pleas- 
ure upon  the  earth.  Can  you  comprehend  the  meaning  of 
the  Prophet  Amos  in  the  question  "Shall  there  be  evil 
in  the  city,  and  the  Lord  hath  not  done  it?"  His  provi 
dences  are  constantl}  ruling  and  overruling,  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree,  in  the  affairs  of  the  children  of  men.  7  237 

The  sooner  an  individual  resists  temptation  to  do,  say, 
or  think  wrong,  while  he  has  light  to  correct  his  judgment, 
the  quicker  he  will  gam  strength  and  power  to  overcome 
every  temptation  to  evil.  6:94, 

I  am  trying  to  civilize  myself  Are  you  trying  to  do  the 
same?  If  we  have  succeeded  in  this,  then  we  have  control 
over  our  words  and  over  our  actions,  and  also,  so  far  as  our 
influence  goes,  over  our  associates  If  we  are  civilized  our- 
selves, we  shall  be  partially  prepared  to  receive  the  things 
that  our  Father  and  God  has  in  store  for  all  such  as  prepare 
themselves  to  become  recipients  of  his  choice  gifts — for  en- 
lightenment, for  intelligence,  for  glory,  for  power,  and  for 
every  qualification  he  wishes  to  bestow  upon  his  children 
here  upon  the  earth,  to  prepare  them  to  dwell  in  mansions 
of  eternal  light.  8 .7 

Until  we  can  subdue  our  own  passions,  and  bring  every 
human  feeling  and  aspiration  into  subjection  to  the  will  of 
God,  we  are  not  really  capable  of  guiding  and  dictating"  oth- 
ers to  the  full  possession  of  victory  in  the  Kingdom  of  God. 


SELF  CONTROL  411 

To  conquer  and  subdue,  and  school  ourselves  until  we  bring 
everything  into  subjection  to  the  law  of  Christ,  is  our  work 
11  13 

The  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  incidents  that 
make  up  the  sum  of  human  lives,  whether  for  good  or  evil, 
depend  on  a  momentary  watchfulness  and  care.  8  32. 

A  righteous  person  will  never  be  discouraged,  but  will 
constantly  contend  agamst  his  evil  passions,  and  against 
evil  m  his  family  and  neighborhood ;  and  the  Lord  will  ut- 
terly cleanse  his  thrashing  floor  as  with  the  besom  of  de- 
struction 8  151 

Many  men  will  say  they  have  a  violent  temper",  and 
try  to  excuse  themselves  for  actions  of  which  they  are 
ashamed  I  will  say,  there  is  not  a  man  in  this  house  who 
has  a  more  indomitable  and  unyielding  temper  than  my- 
self But  there  is  not  a  man  in  the  world  who  cannot  over- 
come his  passion,  if  he  will  struggle  earnestly  to  do  so  If 
you  find  passion  coming  on  you,  go  off  to  some  place  where 
you  cannot  be  heard,  let  none  of  your  family  see  you  or 
hear  you,  while  it  is  upon  you,  but  struggle  till  it  leaves 
you,  and  pray  for  strength  to  overcome.  As  I  have  said 
many  times  to  the  Elders,  pray  m  your  families;  and  if, 
when  the  time  for  prayer  comes,  you  have  not  the  spirit  of 
prayer  upon  you,  and  your  knees  are  unwilling  to  bow,  say 
to  them  "Knees,  get  down  there;"  make  them  bend,  and 
remain  there  until  you  obtain  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  If  the 
spirit  yields  to  the  body,  it  becomes  corrupt;  but  if  the 
body  yields  to  the  spirit  it  becomes  pure  and  holy.  11*290, 

Thirty  years'  experience  has  taught  me  that  every  mo- 
ment of  my  life  must  be  holiness  to  the  Lord,  resulting  from 
equity,  justice,  mercy,  and  uprightness  in  all  my  actions, 


412  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

which  is  the  only  course  by  which  I  can  preserve  the  Spirit 
of  the  Almighty  to  myself,  9:220, 

Check  Your  Words— If  you  first  gam  power  to  check 
your  words,  you  will  then  begin  to  have  power  to  check 
your  judgment,  and  at  length  actually  gam  power  to  check 
your  thoughts  and  reflections  6  98 

You  should  succeed  in  bringing  your  tongues  into  sub- 
jection, so  as  never  to  let  them  speak  evil,  so  that  they  will 
perfectly  obey  your  judgment  and  the  discretion  God  has 
given  you,  and  are  perfectly  obedient  to  the  will  of  the  holy 
Gospel  3  195. 

There  is  an  old  maxim,  and  in  many  cases  an  excellent 
one  It  is,  "Think  twice  before  you  speak,  and  three  times 
before  you  act "  If  we  train  ourselves  to  think  what  we 
are  about  to  do,  before  we  do  it,  and  have  understanding  to 
know,  and  power  to  perform  the  good,  we  can  thereby  avoid 
the  evil  that  is  present  with  us.  1  92. 

It  is  also  a  precious  gift,  that  some  people  seem  to  be 
possessed  of,  to  have  knowledge  enough  not  to  talk  until 
they  can  say  something  to  advantage  and  benefit  to  them- 
selves, or  others,  or  both.  9-86. 

If  any  are  in  the  habit  of  taking  the  name  of  God,  in 
vain,  cease  doing  so  today,  tomorrow  and  throughout  the 
coming  week,  and  so  continue,  and  you  will  soon  gain 
strength  to  overcome  the  habit  entirely;  you  will  gain 
power  over  your  words.  Some  are  in  the  habit  of  talking 
about  their  neighbors,  of  vending  stones  they  know  noth- 
ing about,  only  that  Aunt  Sally  said  that  Cousin  Fanny 
told  Aunt  Betsy  that  old  Aunt  Ruth  said  something  or 
other,  or  somebody  had  had  a  dream ;  and  by  the  time  the 
story  or  dream  reaches  you,  it  has  assumed  the  semblance 
of  a  fact,  and  you  are  very  foolishly  spending  your  time  in 


SELF  CONTROL  413 

talking  about  things  that  amount  to  nothing,  or  that  you 
have  no  concern  with.  A  report  is  started  that  such  a  one 
has  done  wrong,  and,  by  the  time  it  has  gone  its  round,  has 
become  anointed  with  the  salve  of  the  backbiter  and  tale- 
bearer—become endowed  with  their  spirit  One  and  an- 
other falls  in  with  it  and  says,  "That  is  true — your  cause  is 
just,  you  are  exactly  right,  and  the  other  is  surely  wrong," 
when  they  know  nothing  about  the  matter,  thereby  engen- 
dering entirely  groundless  ill  feelings  against  each  other 
Before  we  condemn,  we  should  wait  until  the  heavens 
clearly  indicate  a  fault  in  a  father,  brother,  sister,  wife,  hus- 
band, or  neighbor.  And  if  heaven  declares  a  fault,  wait 
until  the  Holy  Ghost  manifests  to  you  that  such  is  a  fault 
Let  the  Father  reveal  to  you  that  the  person  you  are  think- 
ing or  talking  about  is  actually  wrong  Traduce  no  per- 
son. When  you  know  what  right  is,  and  are  capable  of 
correcting  a  person  that  is  wrong,  then  it  is  time  enough  for 
you  to  judge.  6  '97-98. 

Cease  Your  Anger — No  man  or  people  possessing  wis- 
dom will  give  vent  to  wrath,  for  that  is  calculated  to 
weaken,  to  destroy,  to  blot  out  of  existence  7 :10. 

Cease  your  anger,  and  sullenness  of  temper,  and  serve 
the  Lord  with  cheerfulness,  and  singleness  of  heart.  You 
need  not  expect  salvation,  except  you  can  administer  the 
same  salvation  to  others,  both  in  precept  and  example.  If 
you  expect  compassion  from  me,  administer  the  same  to 
me.  If  you  wish  kind  words  and  kind  treatment  from  me, 
give  me  the  same  blessing  you  desire  yourself;  and  that  is 
the  way  you  will  be  saved.  1 :245. 

Do  not  get  so  angry  that  you  cannot  pray ;  do  not  allow 
yourselves  to  become  so  angry  that  you  cannot  feed  an 
enemy — even  your  worst  enemy,  if  an  opportunity  should 


414  DISCOURSES   OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

present  itself  There  is  a  wicked  anger,  and  there  is  a 
righteous  anger.  The  Lord  does  not  suffer  wicked  anger 
to  be  in  his  heart;  but  there  is  anger  in  his  bosom,  and  he 
\vill  hold  a  controversy  with  the  nations,  and  will  sift  them, 
and  no  power  can  stay  his  hand  5  228 

If  you  give  way  to  your  angry  feelings,  it  sets  on  fire 
the  whole  course  of  nature,  and  is  set  on  fire  of  hell ;  and 
you  are  then  apt  to  set  those  on  fire  who  aie  contending 
with  you  When  you  feel  as  though  you  would  burst,  tell 
the  old  boiler  to  burst,  and  just  laugh  at  the  temptation  to 
speak  evil.  If  you  will  continue  to  do  that,  you  will  soon 
be  so  masters  of  yourselves  as  to  be  able,  if  not  to  tame,  to 
control  your  tongues— able  to  speak  when  you  ought,  and 
to  be  silent  when  you  ought.  6  *75 

Learn  to  Know  Ourselves— The  greatest  lesson  you  can 
learn  is  to  know  yourselves  When  we  know  ourselves,  we 
know  our  neighbors  When  we  know  precisely  how  to  deal 
with  ourselves,  we  know  how  to  deal  with  our  neighbors 
You  have  come  here  to  learn  this.  You  cannot  learn  it 
immediately,  neither  can  all  the  philosophy  of  the  age  teach 
it  to  you,  you  have  to  come  here  to  get  a  practical  expe- 
rience and  to  know  yourselves.  You  will  then  begin  to 
learn  more  perfectly  the  things  of  God.  No  being  can  thor- 
oughly know  himself,  without  understanding  more  or  less 
of  the  things  of  God ;  neither  can  any  being  learn  and  under- 
stand the  things  of  God,  without  knowing  himself .  he  must 
know  himself,  or  he  never  can  know  God  8  334 

But  people  cannot  judge  themselves  as  they  can  others, 
nor  look  upon  their  own  conduct  as  they  do  upon  the  con- 
duct of  others  We  must  learn  to  look  at  ourselves,  to 
judge  ourselves,  and  know  how  to  deal  with  ourselves  and 


SELF   CONTROL  415 

that  "will  enable  us  to  bring-  ourselves  into  perfect  subjection 
to  the  law  of  Chnst.   673. 

There  is  a  trait  in  the  character  of  man  \\hich  is  fre- 
quently made  manifest  m  the  Saints  It  is  simply  this—- 
to see  faults  in  others  when  we  do  not  examine  our  own 
When  you  see  people,  professing  to  be  Latter-day  Saints, 
examining  the  faults  of  others,  you  may  know  that  they  are 
not  walking  in  the  path  of  obedience  as  strictly  as  they 
should  11  292 

Let  Us  Mind  Our  Own  Business — I  will  repeat  part  of 
the  "Mormon  Creed,"  viz  "Let  every  man  mind  his  own 
business  "  If  this  is  observed,  every  man  will  have  busi- 
ness sufficient  on  hand,  so  as  not  to  afford  time  to  trouble 
himself  with  the  business  of  other  people  2 .92-93. 

If  we  will  faithfully  mind  our  own  concerns,  live  our 
religion,  do  good  to  all  men,  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  gather  up  the  honest  in  heart,  build  up 
and  establish  Zion  in  the  earth,  and  send  the  Gospel  to  the 
House  of  Israel,  and  live  -and  serve  God  in  all  things,  all 
will  be  well  with  us,  we  have  no  cause  for  fear  m  the  least 
19 -S 

'  The  question  may  be  asked :  "Are  we  never  to  know 
the  doings  of  others ?  Are  we  never  to  look  to  see  how 
others  are  walking  and  progressing  in  this  Gospel  ?  Must 
we  forever  and  forever  confine  our  minds  to  thinking  of 
ourselves,  and  our  eyes  to  looking  at  ourselves?"  I  can 
merely  say  that  if  persons  only  understand  the  path  of  duty 
and  walk  therein,  attending  strictly  to  whatever  is  required 
of  them,  they  will  have  plenty  to  do  to  examine  themselves 
and  to  purify  their  own  hearts;  and  if  they  look  at  their 
neighbors  and  examine  their  conduct,  they  will  look  for 
good  and  not  for  evil.  1 1 .292. 


416  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

My  position  in  the  presence  of  God,  before  the  angels 
and  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  is  that  it  is  easier  and  more 
delightful  to  serve  God  than  to  >serve  ourselves  and  the 
Devil.  13:1. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
OUR  FELLOW  MEN 

Love  Each  Other — Go  on  until  we  are  perfect,  loving 
our  neighbor  more  than  we  love  ourselves  19:49 

Put  away  all  unkind  feelings,  and  let  all  your  medita- 
tions be  correct  8 :72. 

It  is  folly  in  the  extreme  for  persons  to  say  that  they 
love  God ;  when  they  do  not  love  their  brethren ;  and  it  is 
of  no  use  for  them  to  say  that  they  have  confidence  in  God, 
when  they  have  none  in  righteous  men,  4:297. 

We  are  not  here  isolated  and  alone,  differently  formed 
and  composed  of  different  material  from  the  rest  of  the  hu- 
man race.  We  belong  to  and  are  part  of  this  family,  con- 
sequently we  are  under  obligations  one  to  another,  and  the 
Latter-day  Saints  in  these  mountains  are  tinder  obliga- 
tions to  their  brethren  and  sisters  scattered  in  the  nations 
who,  through  indigent  circumstances,  are  unable  to  gather 
to  themselves  the  comforts  of  life.  13:301. 

Be  just  as  independent  as  a  God  to  do  good  Love 
mercy,  eschew  evil,  be  a  savior  to  yourselves  and  to  your 
families,  and  to  your  fellow  beings  just  as  much  as  you 
possibly  can,  and  go  on  with  your  independence  and  do  not 
yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey  an  evil  principle  or  an 
evil  being.  15 :7. 

It  should  be  satisfactory  evidence  that  you  are  in  the 
path  of  life,  if  you  love  God  and  your  brethren  with  all 
your  hearts.  You  may  see,  or  think  you  see,  a  thousand 
faults  in  your  brethren;  yet  they  are  organized  as  you  are; 
they  are  flesh  of  your  flesh,  bone  of  your  bone-;  they  are  of 
your  Father  who  is  in  heaven ;  we  are  all  his  children,  and 


418  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

should  be  satisfied  with  each  other  as  far  as  possible  The 
main  difficulty  m  the  hearts  of  those  who  are  dissatisfied 
is,  they  are  not  satisfied  with  themselves  8  287. 

We  should  commence  our  labors  of  love  and  kindness 
\\  ith  the  family  to  which  we  belong ;  and  then  extend  them 
toothers,  11-288, 

A  man  or  woman  \\ho  has  embraced,  and  who  enjoys, 
the  principles  of  this  Church,  ought  to  live  like  an  angel. 
They  ought  never  to  be  angry  with  each  other,  but  live  m 
the  light  of  the  truth  continually,  and  every  man  be  kind 
to  his  neighbor.  1-245. 

The  Latter-day  Saints  have  got  to  learn  that  the  inter- 
est of  their  brethren  is  their  own  interest,  or  they  never 
can  be  saved  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God.  3  331. 

Let  us  have  compassion  upon  each  other,  and  let  the 
strong  tenderly  nurse  the  weak  into  strength,  and  let  those 
who  can  see  guide  the  blind  until  they  can  see  the  way  for 
themselves,  10:213 

When  you  see  a  neighbor  begin  to  slip,  pray  for  him  that 
he  may  have  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel  as  he  once  had.  And 
if  you  feel  this  Spirit  within  yourselves,  pray  for  an  in- 
crease of  that  light  you  received  when  you  first  received 
the  Gospel,  and  you  will  save  yourself  and  house  8 :164. 

Envy  not  those  who  do  better  than  you  do ;  do  not  pur™ 
sue  them  with  malice,  but  try  to  shape  and  frame  your  life 
by  theirs.  11  256. 

Reason  as  to  why  it  is  that  you  can  remember  an  injury 
better  than  a  kindness;  why  you  can  retain  hatred  longer 
than  love  Is  it  through  your  fallen  nature?  Is  it  because 
you  were  begotten  and  born  in  sin ?  Or  is  it  not  rather  be- 
cause the  power  of  the  tempter  has  control  over  you,  and 
because  the  world  is  full  of  evil  principles,  and  you  have 


OUR  FELLOW   MEN  419 

adhered  to  them?  Yes,  this  is  the  cause,  and  you  must 
acknowledge  it  The  whole  world  is  contaminated  with  a 
spirit  to  remember  evil  and  forget  the  good.  3  356. 

I  have  examined  myself  very  closely;  I  have  been  try- 
ing to  know  myself,  to  govern  myself,  and  purify  my  own 
heart  The  worst  evil  I  can  imagine  or  w*=h  to  come  upon 
the  enemies  of  truth  is,  that  they  be  oblig  to  live  by  holy 
principles,  and  to  deal  by  their  fellow-creatures  as  they 
would  wish  to  be  dealt  by  8  13-14, 

Be  kind  to  all  as  our  Father  m  Heaven  is  kind.  He  sends 
his  ram  upon  the  just  and  the  unjust;  and  gives  the  sun  to 
shine  upon  the  evil  and  the  good  So  let  our  goodness  ex- 
tend to  all  the  works  of  his  hands,  where  we  can ,  but  do  not 
yield  to  the  spirit  and  influence  of  eviL  Do  not  encourage 
wickedness  in  our  midst.  12  220. 

Do  I  say,  Love  your  enemies ?  Yes,  upon  certain  prin- 
ciples But  you  are  not  required  to  love  their  wickedness , 
you  are  only  required  to  love  them  so  far  as  concerns  a 
desire  and  effort  to  turn  them  from  their  evil  ways,  that 
they  may  be  saved  through  obedience  to  the  Gospel,  871. 

If  there  is  nothing  in  the  heart  which  governs  us,  and 
controls  to  an  evil  effect,  the  tongue  of  itself  will  never 
produce  evil  3.196 

Let  Us  Be  Merciful— The  genius  of  our  religion  is  to 
have  mercy  upon  all,  do  good  to  all,  as  far  as  they  will  let 
us  do  good  to  them  1 1  *282. 

God  bless  the  humble  and  the  righteous,  and  may  he 
have  compassion  upon  us  because  of  the  weakness  that  is 
in  our  nature  And  considering  the  great  weakness  and 
ignorance  of  mortals,  let  us  have  mercy  upon  each  other. 
9-158  * 

Let  us  be  just,  merciful,  faithful  and  true,  and  let  us 


420  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

live  our  religion,  and  we  shall  be  taught  all  things  pertain- 
ing to  the  building  up  of  Zion  10*177, 

The  merciful  man  shall  find  mercy.  When  a  man  de- 
signedly does  wrong,  he  ought  to  be  chastised  for  that 
wrong,  receiving  according  to  his  works  If  a  man  does 
wrong  through  ignorance,  and  manifests  sincere  sorrow  for 
the  wrong,  he  is  the  one  whom  we  should  forgive  seventy 
times  in  a  day,  if  necessary,  and  not  the  one  who  has  de- 
signedly done  wrong  and  repents  not  7 .244. 

Men  should  act  upon  the  principle  of  righteousness,  be- 
cause it  is  right,  and  is  a  principle  which  they  love  to  cherish 
and  see  practiced  by  all  men  They  should  love  mercy, 
because  of  its  benevolence,  charity,  love,  clemency,  and  all 
of  its  lovely  attributes,  and  be  inspired  thereby  to  deal 
justly,  fairly,  honorably,  meting  out  to  others  their  just 
deservings.  1:119. 

When  we  hold  unrighteous,  ungodly  persons  in  fellow- 
ship, it  injures  the  whole  body  of  Christ ;  but  we  do  it  be- 
cause we  have  compassion  for  them  10  284 

Be  steadfast,  always  abiding  m  the  truth  Never  en- 
courage malice  or  hatred  in  your  hearts ,  that  does  not  be- 
long to  a  Saint  I  can  say  in  truth,  that  with  all  the  abuse 
I  have  ever  met,  driven  from  my  home,  robbed  of  my  sub- 
stance, I  do  not  know  that  a  spirit  of  malice  has  ever  rested 
in  my  heart.  I  have  asked  the  Lord  to  mete  out  justice  to 
those  who  have  oppressed  us,  and  the  Lord  will  take  his 
own  time  and  way  for  doing  this.  It  is  in  his  hands,  and 
not  in  mine,  and  I  am  glad  of  it,  for  I  could  not  deal  with 
the  wicked  as  they  should  be  dealt  with.  10.297, 

Show  Charity— Only  a  few  men  on  the  earth  understand 
the  charity  that  fills  the  bosom  of  our  Savior.  We  should 
have  charity;  we  should  do  all  we  can  to  reclaim  the  lost 


OUR  FELLOW   MEN  421 

sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  bring  them  back 
to  be  saved  in  the  presence  of  our  Father  and  God  If  we 
do  this,  our  charity  will  extend  to  the  utmost  extent  that  it 
is  designed  for  the  charity  of  God  to  extend  in  the  midst  of 
this  people.  8  175. 

Let  all  Latter-day  Saints  learn  that  the  weaknesses  of 
their  brethren  are  not  sins  When  men  or  women  un- 
designedly  commit  a  wrong,  do  not  attribute  that  to  them 
as  a  sin.  Let  us  learn  to  be  compassionate  one  with  an- 
other; let  mercy  and  kindness  soften  every  angry  and  fret- 
ful temper,  that  we  may  become  long  suffering  and  bene- 
ficent in  all  our  communications  one  with  another.  9 :334. 

Let  us  be  patient  with  one  another,  I  do  not  altogether 
look  at  things  as  you  do  My  judgment  is  not  in  all  things 
like  yours,  nor  yours  like  mine  When  you  judge  a  man  or 
woman,  judge  the  intentions  of  the  heart  It  is  not  by 
words,  particularly,  nor  by  actions,  that  men  will  be  judged 
in  the  great  day  of  the  Lord ;  but,  in  connection  with  words 
and  actions,  the  sentiments  and  intentions  of  the  heart  will 
be  taken,  and  by  these  will  .men  be  judged.  8  10 

Ye  mighty  men  of  God,  make  sure  the  path  for  your  own 
feet  to  walk  to  eternal  life,  and  take  as  many  with  you  as 
you  can.  Take  them  as  they  are,  understand  them  as  they 
are,  and  deal  with  them  as  they  are,  look  at  them  as  God 
looks  at  them,  and  then  you  can  judge  them  as  he  would 
judge  them.  8:10. 

Respect  one  another,  do  not  speak  lightly  of  each  other. 
Some,  if  they  get  a  little  pique  against  an  individual,  are 
disposed  to  cast  him  down  to  hell,  as  not  worthy  of  a  place 
upon  earth.  O  fools !  not  to  understand  that  those  you  con- 
demn are  the  workmanship  of  God,  as  well  as  yourselves ! 
( iod  overlooks  their  weaknesses ,  and  so  far  as  they  do  good, 


422  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

they  are  as  acceptable  as  we  are.  Thank  God  that  you  know 
better,  and  be  full  of  mercy  and  kindness  8  '149 

Suppose  that  in  this  community  there  are  ten  beggars 
\vho  beg  from  door  to  door  for  something  to  eat,  and  that 
nine  of  them  are  imposters  who  beg  to  escape  work,  and 
with  an  evil  heart  practice  imposition  upon  the  generous 
and  sympathetic,  and  that  only  one  of  the  ten  who  visit 
your  doors  is  worthy  of  your  bounty ;  which  is  best,  to  give 
food  to  the  ten,  to  make  sure  of  helping  the  truly  needy 
one,  or  to  repulse  the  ten  because  you  do  not  know  which  is 
the  worthy  one?  You  will  all  say,  administer  charitable 
gifts  to  the  ten,  rather  than  turn  away  the  only  truly  worthy 
and  truly  needy  person  among  them  If  you  do  this,  it  will 
make  no  difference  in  your  blessings,  whether  you  ad- 
minister to  worthy  or  unworthy  persons,  inasmuch  as  you 
give  alms  with  a  single  eye  to  assist  the  truly  needy  8 .12 

My  experience  has  taught  me,  and  it  has  become  a  prin- 
ciple with  me,  that  it  is  never  any  benefit  to  give,  out  and 
out,  to  man  or  woman,  money,  food,  clothing,  or  anything 
else,  if  they  are  able-bodied,  and  can  work  and  eain  what 
they  need,  when  there  is  anything  on  the  earth,  for  them 
to  do  This  is  my  principle,  and  I  try  to  act  upon  it.  To 
pursue  a  contrary  course  would  rum  any  community  in  the 
world  and  make  them  idlers.  People  trained  in  this  way 
have  no  interest  in  working,  "but,"  say  they,  "we  can  beg, 
or  we  can  get  this,  that,  or  the  other/'  No,  my  plan  and 
counsel  would  be,  let  every  person,  able  to  work,  work  and 
earn  what  he  needs ;  and  if  the  poor  come  around  me — able- 
bodied  men  and  women— take  them  and  put  them  into  the 
house  "Do  you  need  them?"  No,  but  I  will  teach  this 
girl  to  do  housework,  and  teach  that  woman  to  sew  and  do 
other  kinds  of  work,  that  they  may  be  profitable  when  they 


OUR  FELLOW   MEN  423 

get  married  or  go  for  themselves  "Will  you  give  them 
anything  to  wear?"  0.,  yes  make  them  comfortable,  give 
them  plenty  to  eat  and  teach  them  to  labor  and  earn  what 
they  need ,  for  the  bone  and  smew  of  men  and  women  are 
the  capital  of  the  world  11 .297. 

To  give  to  the  idler  is  as  wicked  as  anything  else  Never 
give  anything  to  the  idler  16  19. 

Set  the  poor  to  work — setting  out  orchards,  splitting 
lails,  digging  ditches,  making  fences,  or  anything  useful, 
and  so  enable  them  to  buy  meal  and  flour  and  the  neces- 
saries of  Me.  12:60-61. 

Have  the  poor  got  greedy  eyes?  Are  they  covetous  and 
penurious  *  I  shall  go  a  little  too  far  if  I  am  not  careful 
I  must  guard  myself,  because  the  Lord  has  chosen  the  poor 
of  this  world  But  what  kind  of  poor^  Now  the  poor  may 
be  divided  into  three  classes.  In  the  first  place  there  is  the 
Lord's  poor,  of  which  you  may  pick  up  one  here  and  an- 
other there,  one  in  a  city,  two  in  a  family.  Is  there  any 
other  kind ?  Yes,  you  come  across  a  certain  class  that  may 
be  called  the  Devil*s  poor  Is  there  any  other  class  ?  Yes, 
there  is  another  class,  who,  long  before  I  ever  mentioned 
them,  were  denominated  poor  devils  Hence  we  have  the 
Lord's  poor,  the  Devil's  poor,  and  poor  devils.  12  -57. 

Establish  Confidence— Preserve  your  honor,  and  your 
integrity,  and  ever  cherish  the  confidence  that  men  repose 
in  you,  11:256. 

Want  of  confidence  is  the  parent  of  moral  imbecility 
and  intellectual  weakness.  10  20 

But  if  we  lack  confidence  in  each  other,  and  "be  jealous 
of  each  other,  our  peace  will  be  destroyed.  If  we  cultivate 
the  principles  of  unshaken  confidence  in  each  other,  our  joy 
will  be  full  1  33 


424  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

If  we  could  obtain  that  faith  and  confidence  in  each 
other,  and  in  our  God,  that  when  we  ask  a  favor,  we  could 
do  so  with  a  full  assurance  and  knowledge  that  we  should 
receive,  do  you  not  perceive  that  it  would  lead  us  directly 
to  do  as  we  would  be  done  by,  in  every  transaction  and  cir- 
cumstance of  life?  It  would  prompt  us  to  do,  not  only  as 
much  as  requested,  but  more  If  your  brother  should  re- 
quest you  to  go  with  him  a  mile,  you 'would  go  two ;  if  he 
should  sue  you  for  your  coat,  you  would  give  him  your 
cloak  also  This  principle  prompts  us  to  do  all  we  can  to 
promote  the  interest  of  each  other,  the  cause  of  God  on  the 
earth,  and  whatever  the  Lord  desires  us  to  do;  makes  us 
ready  and  willing  to  perform  it  at  once.  1  *1 15. 

If  you  wish  to  establish  a  confidence  such  as  the  Gods 
enjoy,  let  us  cease  from  every  evil  act,  and  from  the  con- 
templation of  every  evil  design,  never  infringe  upon  an- 
other's rights,  but  let  each  one  sustain  his  brother  in  the 
enjoyment  of  his  privileges  atfd  rights,  holding  them  as 
sacred  as  our  own  salvation  If  confidence  has  been  lost, 
this  is  the  surest  and  only  successful  way  to  restore  it. 
Hear  it,  ye  preachers,  ye  Apostles,  and  Prophets ,  ye  Elders, 
High  Priests,  and  Seventies;  ye  Priests,  Teachers,  Deacons, 
and  Bishops  ,*  every  man  and  woman  in  the  Church  of  God 
throughout  the  world ,  commence  to  preacti  this  discourse 
at  home,  beginning  with  your  own  heart ;  then  teach  your 
wives  and  your  children ;  then  let  it  spread  its  warning  and 
cheering  influence,  like  the  genial  sunbeam,  from  family  to 
family,  until  the  whole  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  is  united  as  the  heart  of  one  man.  1  315. 

Let  us  from  this  time  forth  live  so  as  to  create  confi- 
dence in  all  men  with  whom  we  deal  and  come  in  contact; 
and  treasure  up  each  particle  of  confidence  we  obtain  as 


OUR  PELLOW  MEN  425 

one  of  the  most  precious  possessions  mortals  can  possibly 
possess.  When  by  my  good  actions  I  have  created  confi- 
dence in  my  neighbor  towards  me,  I  pray  that  I  may  never 
do  anything  that  will  destroy  it  11  256, 

The  work  in  which  you  and  I  have  enlisted  is  to  restore 
confidence  in  the  minds  of  the  people ;  and  when  I  hear  of 
circumstances  transpiring  in  which  brethren  forfeit  their 
word  I  regard  it  as  a  blot  upon  the  character  of  this  people 
We  should  keep  our  word  with  each  other.  And  if  we  have 
difficulty  or  misunderstanding  with  each  other,  talk  it  over, 
canvass  the  subject  thoroughly,  seriously  and  discreetly, 
and  we  shall  find  that  all  difficulties  will  be  remedied  in 
this  way  easier  than  any  other;  and  we  shall  also  find  that 
nearly  every  difficulty  that  arises  in  the  midst  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth,  is  through  misunderstanding;  and  if 
a  wrong  in  intent  and  design  really  exists,  if  the  matter  is 
canvassed  over,  the  wrong-doer  is  generally  willing  to  come 
to  terms  14*278. 

Avoid  Contention — I  consider  it  as  a  disgrace  to  the 
community,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  and  of  angels, 
and  in  the  eyes  of  all  the  Prophets  and  Revelators  that  have 
ever  lived  upon  the  earth,  when  a  community  will  descend 
to  a  low,  degraded  state  of  contention  with  each  other  1 :32 

I  wish  men  would  look  upon  that  eternity  which  is 
before  them.  In  the  great  morning  of  the  resurrection, 
with  what  grief  would  they  look  upon  their  little  trifling 
affairs  of  this  probation ;  they  would  say,  "0 !  do  not  men- 
tion it,  for  it  is  a  source  of  mortification  to  me  to  think  that 
I  ever  should  be  guilty  of  doing  wrong,  or  of  neglecting  to 
do  good  to  my  fellowmen,  even  if  they  have  abused  me." 
1:32. 

When  a  difference  of  judgment  exists  between  two 


426  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

parties,  let  them  come  together  and  lay  their  difficulties  at 
each  other's  feet,  laying  themselves  down  in  the  ciadle  of 
humility,  and  say,  "brother  (or  sister)  I  want  to  do  right, 
yea,  I  will  even  wrong  myself,  to  make  you  right "  Do 
you  not  think  that  a  man  or  woman,  acting  in  that  man- 
ner towards  his  or  her  neighbor,  would  be  justified  by  the 
law  of  righteousness?  Their  judgments  come  together,  and 
they  are  agreed  there  would,  consequently,  be  no  need  of 
calling  in  a  third  person  to  settle  the  difference  After  tak- 
ing this  course,  if  you  cannot  come  together,  then  call  in  a 
third  person  and  settle  it  6 '319. 

Contentions  frequently  arise  to  so  alienating  a  degree  that 
brethren  ha\  e  no  faith  in  each  other's  honesty  and  integrity, 
when,  perhaps,  both  parties  have  stumbled  over  a  little, 
selfish,  ignorant,  personal  misunderstanding,  are  carrying 
it  to  the  extent  of  wishing  to  cut  each  other  off  from  the 
Church  Very  frequently  such  cases  are  presented  before 
me  Unravel  the  difficulty,  and  it  is  found  to  have  started 
in  a  trifling  misunderstanding  in  relation  to  some  small 
matter,  all  the  trouble  has  arisen  from  a  most  frivolous 
cause.  Avoid  nursing  misunderstandings  into  difficulties, 
Some  talk  \vith  a  heavy,  deep  stress  upon  their  words,  with- 
out intending  anything  harsh  or  unkind.  8:72. 

If  your  neighbors  talk  about  you,  and  you  think  that 
they  do  wrong  in  speaking  evil  of  you,  do  not  let  therri 
know  that  you  ever  heard  a  word,  and  conduct  yourselves 
as  if  they  always  did  right,  and  it  will  mortify  them,  and 
they  will  say,  "We'll  not  try  this  game  any  longer."  19  70 

Let  us  make  ourselves  capable  of  doing  at  least  a  little 
good,  and  this  will  occupy  our  minds  upon  something  that 
is  indeed  profitable  to  others,  and  will  somewhat  divert  our 


OUR  FELLOW   MEN  427 

attention  from  worshiping  ourselves  and  blaming  every- 
body that  does  not  do  the  same  10:205. 

Now,  if  you  do  not  want  to  quarrel,  take  measures  to 
prevent  it.  12:315. 

Do  Not  Deal  Out  Judgment— Cease  looking  at  others 
Cease  to  judge  each  other.  6:74. 

Kindness,  love,  and  affection*  are  the  best  rod  to  use 
upon  the  refractory.  9:195 

Away  with  all  little  meannesses,  and  deal  out  kindness 
to  all  Chasten,  where  chastening  will  answer  best;  but 
try  persuasion  before  you  try  the  rod.  8:63 

Do  not  throw  away  a  man  or  a  woman,  old  or  young. 
If  they  commit  an  evil  today,  and  another  tomorrow,  but 
wish  to  be  Saints  and  to  be  forgiven,  do  you  forgive  them, 
not  only  seven  times,  but  seventy  times  seven  in  a  day,  if 
their  hearts  are  fully  set  to  do  right  Let  us  make  it  a  point 
to  pass  over  their  weaknesses  and  say,  "God  bless  you  in 
trying  to  be  better  in  time  to  come,"  and  act  as  wise  stew- 
ards in  the  Kingdom  of  God.  8:368. 

You  are  not  as  you  should  be,  unless  you  can  correct 
every  person  you  know  to  be  wrong,  without  having  per- 
sonal ill-feelings  against  them.  8:191. 

Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.  Let  no  man  judge 
his  fellow  being,  unless  he  knows  he  has  the  mind  of  Christ 
within  him.  We  ought  to  reflect  seriously  upon  this  point ; 
how  often  it  is  said — "Such  a  person  has  done  wrong,  and 
he  cannot  be  a  Saint,  or  he  would  not  do  so/'  How  do 
you  know?  We  hear  some  swear  and  lie;  they  trample 
upon  the  rights  of  their  neighbor,  break  the  Sabbath  by 
staying  away  from  meeting,  riding  about  the  city,  hunting 
horses  and  cattle,  or  working  in  the  canyons.  Do  not  judge 
such  persons,  for  you  do  not  know  the  design  of  the  Lord 


428  DISCOUSSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

concerning  them ,  therefore,  do  not  say  they  are  not  Saints 
What  shall  we  do  with  them'  Bear  with  them.  The 
brethren  and  sisters  from  the  old  countries  frequently  place 
great  confidence  in  the  American  Elders  who  have  been 
their  pastors,  but  some  trifling  thing  occurs  that  does  not 
appear  right  to  them,  and  they  say  in  a  moment,  "That 
Elder  is  not  a  Latter-day  Saint."  Judge  no  man  A  person 
who  would  say  another  is  not  a  Latter-day  Saint,  for  some 
trifling  affair  in  human  life  proves  that  he  does  not  possess 
the  Spirit  of  God  Think  of  this,  brethren  and  sisters; 
write  it  down,  that  you  may  refresh  your  memories  with 
it ;  carry  it  with  you  and  look  at  it  often  If  I  judge  my 
brethren  and  sisters,  unless  I  judge  them  by  the  revelations 
of  Jesus  Christ,  I  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ ,  if  I  had,  I 
should  judge  no  man.  1 .339. 

I  am  very  thankful  that  it  is  not  our  province,  in  our 
present  condition,  to  judge  the  world ;  if  it  were,  we  would 
rum  everything.  We  have  not  sufficient  wisdom,  our 
minds  are  not  filled  with  the  knowledge  and  power  of  God ; 
the  spirit  needs  to  contend  with  the  flesh  a  little  more 
until  it  shall  be  successful  in  subduing  its  passions,  until 
the  whole  soul  is  brought  into  perfect  harmony  with  the 
mind  and  will  of  God  And  we  must  also  acquire  the  dis- 
cretion that  God  exercises  in  being  able  to  look  into  futurity, 
and  to  ascertain  and  know  the  results  of  our  acts  away  in 
the  future,  even  in  eternity,  before  we  will  be  capable  of 
judging.  19 :7. 

If  you  are  ever  called  upon  to  chasten  a  person,  never 
chasten  beyond  the  balm  you  have  within  you  to  bind  up. 
9  124-5 

When  a  man  has  power  over  his  neighbor,  over  his 
fellow-being,  and  puts  him  in  torment,  which  is  like  the 


OUR  FELLOW  MEN  429 

flames  of  everlasting  fire,  so  that  he  never  dares  to  speak 
his  mind,  or  walk  across  the  street,  or  attend  to  any  branch 
of  business  without  a  continual  fear  of  his  oppressor,  and 
of  the  rod  hanging  over  him  for  punishment,  it  is  worse 
than  to  kill  and  eat  him.  That  is  as  the  torment  of  hell. 
2:140 

Respect  for  Neighbors— Treat  the  passing  strangers 
with  kindness  and  respect;  treat  all  kindly  and  respectfully 
who  respect  you  and  your  rights  as  American  citizens 
10-249. 

Here  is  truth— here  are  life  and  salvation.  Will  you 
have  them?  If  you  say,  "Nay,"  all  right;  for  you  have  the 
privilege  of  making  your  own  choice.  It  has  never  altered 
my  feelings  towards  individuals,  as  men  or  as  women, 
whether  they  belive  as  I  do  or  not.  Can  you  live  as  neigh- 
bors with  me?  I  can  with  you;  and  it  is  no  particular  con- 
cern of  mine  whether  you  believe  with  me  or  not.  7-165. 

In  our  intercourse  with  outsiders — do  not  call  them 
Gentiles — let  our  example  be  such  as  is  worthy  of  imitation; 
then  every  one  among  them  who  is  honest  will  say,  "I  guess 
you  are  right,  I  think  I  will  come  and  stay  with  you." 
12:273. 

Lady  and  Gentleman  Defined — Now,  my  brethren  and 
sisters,  from  the  high  and  from  the  lower  circles  of  life, 
find  if  you  can  on  the  face  of  the  earth  a  gentleman  or  lady, 
in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  and  you  will  find  a  man  or 
woman  that  would  border  very  closely  on  an  angel.  Every 
word  that  they  speak  will  be  seasoned  with  grace;  every 
act  of  their  lives  would  be  as  nigh  as  mortals  can  come  to 
angels;  nothing  pertaining  to  them  low,  degrading  or  dis- 
graceful. You  find  a  gentleman  and  you  will  find  a  man 
who  possesses  a  heart  full  of  charity,  faith  and  love,  full  of 


430  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

good  works,  whose  hand  is  always  open  to  do  good  to  every 
creature.  You  find  a  lady,  and  she  is  one  who  is  ready  to 
impart  wisdom,  knowledge,  truth3  and  every  virtuous  and 
holy  principle  to  her  sisters  and  her  fellow  beings.  These 
are  the  true  lady  and  gentleman,  but  they  aie  of  a  higher 
order  than  those  we  now  call  ladies  and  gentlemen  12  -259 

The  Negro— -The  seed  of  Ham,  which  is  the  seed  of  Cam 
descending  through  Ham,  will,  according  to  the  curse  put 
upon  him,  serve  his  brethren,  and  be  a  "servant  of  servants" 
to  his  fellow-creatures,  until  God  removes  the  curse ;  and  no 
power  can  hinder  it  2 '184 

The  Generous  Nature — It  floods  my  heart  with  sorrow 
to  see  so  many  Elders  of  Israel  who  wish  everybody  to 
come  to  their  standard  and  be  measured  by  their  measure. 
Every  man  must  be  just  so  long,  to  fit  their  iron  bedstead, 
or  be  cut  off  to  the  right  length;  if  too  short,  he'  must  bd 
stretched,  to  fill  the  requirement 

The  faithful  will  exercise  faith,  and  pray  always  for  all 
who  are  within  the  reach  of  mercy.  The  good  desire  good 
to  all.  11-273. 

If  they  see  an  erring  brother  or  sister,  whose  course 
does  not  comport  with  their  particular  ideas  of  things,  they 
conclude  at  once  that  he  or  she  cannot  be  a  Saint,  and  with- 
draw their  fellowship,  concluding  that,  if  they  are  in  the 
path  of  truth,  others  must  have  precisely  their  weight  and 
dimensions 

The  ignorance  I  see,  in  this  particular,  among  this  great 
people  is  lamentable.  Let  us  not  narrow  ourselves  up ,  for 
the  world,  with  all  its  variety  of  useful  information  and  its 
rich  hoard  of  hidden  treasure,  is  before  us,  and  eternity, 
with  all  its  sparkling  intelligence,  lofty  aspirations,  and  un- 
speakable glories,  is  before  us,  and  ready  to  aid  us  in  the 


OUR  FELLOW  MEN  431 

scale  of  advancement  and  every  useful  improvement,    8  9. 
Serve  the  Lord,  and  try  not  to  find  fault  with  each  other. 
Live  so  that  you  will  not  have  any  fault  to  find  with  your- 
selveSj  and  never  mind  the  faults  of  your  brethren,  for  each 
person  has  enough  of  his  own  to  attend  to     8*291. 

To  be  gentle  and  kind,  modest  and  truthful,  to  be  full 
of  faith  and  integrity,  doing  no  wrong  is  of  God ;  goodness 
sheds  a  halo  of  loveliness  around  every  person  who  pos- 
sesses it,  making  their  countenances  beam  with  light,  and 
their  society  desirable  because  of  its  excellency.  They  are 
loved  of  God,  of  holy  angels,  and  of  all  the  good  on  earth, 
while  they  are  hated,  envied,  admired  and  feared  by  the 
wicked  11-240. 

We  ought  to  be  ourselves  and  not  anybody  else.  We  do 
not  wish  to  be  anybody  else,  neither  do  we  wish  to  be  any- 
body but  Saints.  3 .363 

Every  moment  of  human  life  should  be  devoted  to  doing 
good  somewhere  and  in  some  way.  9  296. 

If  every  person  m  the  community  would  correct  his  own 
errors  each  day  he  lives,  the  errors  of  the  whole  would  con- 
tinually be  effectually  corrected  It  is  an  individual  busi- 
ness, over  which  each  man  must  preside,  until  every  fault 
m  our  whole  lives  is  corrected  and  we  are  sanctified  before 
the  Lord.  6:316: 

It  is  good  to  hold  on  to  an  old  friend;  and,  no  matter 
how  many  new  friends  I  have,  I  always  hold  fast  to  the  old 
ones,  and  never  let  them  go,  unless  their  wicked  conduct 
breaks  the  thread  of  fellowship  between  us.  10 .42. 

What  comes  of  litigation?  Poverty  and  degradation 
to  any  community  that  will  encourage  it.  Will  it  build 
cities,  open  farms,  build  railroads,  erect  telegraph  lines  and 


432  DISCOURSES  OF  BR1GHAM  YOUNG 

improve  a  country?  It  will  not;  but  it  will  bring  any  com- 
munity to  ruin.  1 1 :259. 

He  will  bless  any  man,  any  family,  or  any  people  who 
is  liberal.  As  it  is  written  in  the  good  book,  "The  liberal 
man  deviseth  liberal  things,"  and  if  he  deviseth  liberal 
things  by  his  liberality  he  shall  stand.  The  Lord  will  bless 
that  people  that  is  full  of  charity,  kindness  and  good  works. 
13:279. 

I  also  say,  Cease  speaking  evil  one  of  another,  and  cease 
being  dishonest.  Masters,  deal  honestly  and  justly  with 
those  whom  you  hire,  who  are  called  servants.  Servants, 
deal  honestly  and  uprightly  with  those  who  employ  you, 
who  are  called  masters,  that  confidence  and  the  spirit  of 
brotherhood  may  be  kindled,  where  now,  in  too  many  in- 
stances, the  desire  to  take  advantage  exists.  18:233. 


CHAPTER  XXV 
UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION 

Be  of  One  Mind  and  One  Heart — I  pray,  my  brethren, 
the  Bishops,  the  Elders,  the  Seventies,  the  Apostles,  yea, 
every  man  and  woman  and  child  who  has  named  the  name 
of  Christ,  to  be  of  one  heart  and  of  one  mind,  for  if  we  do 
not  become  of  one  heart  and  mind  we  shall  surely  perish 
by  the  way.  12:166. 

If  we  were  one,  we  should  then  prove  to  heaven,  to  God 
our  Father,  to  Jesus  Christ  our  Elder  Brother,  to  the  angels, 
to  the  good  upon  the  earth,  and  to  all  mankind  that  we  are 
the  disciples  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If  we  are  not  one,  we 
are  not  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word  the  disciples  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  11  273. 

When  truth  comes,  receive  it  as  from  the  Lord,  and  let 
everything-  be  simplified  to  us  as  unto  children,  for  the 
Lord  has  ordained  that  we  may  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  be  able  to  receive  more  knowl- 
edge, wisdom,  and  understanding,  and  it  is  not  possible  for 
us  to  receive  it  any  other  way,  only  as  we  apply  our  hearts 
strictly  to  overcome  every  evil  and  cleave  to  that  which  is 
pleasing  to  the  Lord — to  that  which  tends  to  life  and  salva- 
tion. This  is  the  only  channel  in  which  we  can  become  of 
one  heart,  and  of  one  mind.  3.355. 

Jesus  offered  up  one  of  the  most  essential  prayers  that 
could  possibly  be  offered  up  by  a  human  or  heavenly  being 
— no  matter  who,  pertaining  to  the  salvation  of  the  people, 
and  embodying  a  principle  without  which  none  can  be 
saved,  when  he  prayed  the  Father  to  make  his  disciples  one, 
as  he  and  his  Father  were  one.  He  knew  that  if  they  did 


434  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

not  become  one,  they  could  not  be  saved  in  the  celestial 
kingdom  of  God  If  persons  do  not  see  as  he  did  while  m 
the  flesh,  hear  as  he  heard,  understand  as  he  understood, 
and  become  precisely  as  he  was,  according  to  their  several 
capacities  and  callings,  they  can  never  dwell  with  him  and 
his  Father  6,96. 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  could  not  exist,  and  be  divided 
up  into  parties  Where  such  disunion  exists  in  any  govern- 
ment, it  ultimately  becomes  the  means  of  the  utter  over- 
throw of  that  government  or  people,  unless  a  timely  remedy 
is  applied.  Party  spirit  once  made  its  appearance  in  heaven, 
but  was  promptly  checked  9  '332 

That  perfect  union,  which  must  ultimately  be  enjoyed 
by  the  Latter-day  Saints,  can  only  be  brought  about  by 
every  man  and  woman  living  so  as  to  keep  their  minds  pure 
and  unspotted  like  a  piece  of  clean,  white  paper,  being  con- 
stantly free  from  the  love  of  the  world,  that  the  spirit  of 
revelation  may  easily  indite  upon  the  heart  whatever  is  the 
mind  and  will  of  the  Lord.  We  cannot  be  truly  the  mem- 
bers of  Christ's  mystical  body  without  living  in  this  way, 
that  the  Spirit  may  indite  as  easily  upon  the  heart  the  things 
of  God,  as  these  brethren,  our  reporters  can  write  with  ink 
on  paper.  11  19 

Perfect  Oneness  Will  Save  a  People— We  must  become 
of  one  heart  and  mind,  in  order  to  fully  enjoy  the  blessings 
we  anticipate  6.41. 

If  we  are  united,  we  are  independent  of  the  powers  of 
hell  and  of  the  world.  5 :257. 

Unity  of  purpose  and  action,  in  carrying  out  the  will  of 
our  Father,  has  been  my  theme  all  the  day  long.  18  -356 

A  perfect  oneness  will  save  a  people,  because  intelligent 
beings  cannot  become  perfectly  one,  only  by  acting  upon 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  435 

principles  that  pertain  to  eternal  life  Wicked  men  may  be 
partially  united  in  evil,  but,  in  the  very  nature  of  things, 
such  a  union  is  of  short  duration.  The  very  principle  upon 
which  they  are  partially  united  will  itself  breed  contention 
and  disunion  to  destroy  the  temporary  compact.  Only  the 
line  of  truth  and  righteousness  can  secure  to  any  kingdom 
or  people,  either  of  earthly  or  heavenly  existence,  an  eter- 
nal continuation  of  perfect  union ,  for  only  truth  and  those 
who  are  sanctified  by  it  can  dwell  in  celestial  glory  7*277 

The  Savior  sought  continually  to  impress  upon  the 
minds  of  his  disciples  that  a  perfect  oneness  reigned  among 
all  celestial  beings — that  the  Father  and  the  Son  and  their 
Minister,  the  Holy  Ghost,  were  one  in  their  administration 
in  heaven  and  among  the  people  pertaining  to  this  earth. 
Between  them  and  all  the  heavenly  hosts  there  can  be  no 
disunion,  no  discord,  no  wavering  on  a  suggestion,  on  a 
thought  or  reflection,  on  a  feeling  or  manifestation;  for 
such  a  principle  would  differ  widely  from  the  character  of 
him  who  dictates  them,  who  makes  his  throne  the  habita- 
tion of  justice,  mercy,  equity,  and  truth.  If  the  heavenly 
hosts  were  not  one,  they  would  be  entirely  unfit  to  dwell 
m  the  eternal  burnings  with  the  Father  and  Ruler  of  the 
universe.  7  -276. 

All  w'ho  keep  the  faith  are  of  one  heart  and  one  mind, 
and  this  testimony  is  so  confirmed  to  all  that  we  cannot  be 
mistaken.  18.231. 

How  is  it  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  feel  and  understand 
alike,  are  of  one  heart  and  one  mind,  no  matter  where  they 
may  be  when  they  receive  the  Gospel,  whether  in  the  north, 
or  the  south,  the  east  or  the  west,  even  to  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth?  They  receive  that  which  was  promised 
by  the  Savior  when  he  was  about  to  leave  the  earth,  namely, 


436  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

the  Comioiler,  that  holy  unction  from  on  high  which  recog- 
nizes one  God,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  whose  mind  is  the 
will  of  God  the  Father,  m  whom  there  dwelleth  unity  of 
faith  and  action,  and  m  whom  there  cannot  be  division  or 
confusion,  when  they  received  this  fuither  light,  it  mat- 
ters not  whether  they  have  seen  each  other  or  not,  they 
have  at  once  become  brothers  and  sisters,  having  been 
adopted  into  the  family  of  Christ  through  the  bonds  of  the 
everlasting  covenant,  and  all  can  then  exclaim,  in  the  beau- 
tiful language  of  Ruth,  "Thy  people  shall  be  my  people, 
and  their  God  my  God  i"  And  the  fact  that  we  receive  this 
Comforter,  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  proof  that  the  spirit  m  war- 
ring with  the  flesh  has  overcome,  and  by  continuing  in  this 
state  of  victory  over  our  smful  bodies  we  become  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  God  Christ  having  made  us  free,  and 
whoever  the  Son  makes  free  is  free  indeed  Having  fought 
the  good  fight  we  then  shall  be  prepared  to  lay  our  bodies 
down  to  rest  to  await  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  when 
they  will  come  forth  and  be  reunited  with  the  spirits,  the 
faithful,  as  it  is  said,  receiving  crowns,  glory,  immortality 
and  eternal  lives,  even  a  fulness  with  the  Father,  when  Jesus 
shall  present  his  work  to  the  Father,  saying,  "Father,  here 
is  the  work  thou  gavest  me  to  do,"  Then  will  they  become 
Gods,  even  the  sons  of  God;  then  will  they  become  eternal 
fathers,  eternal  mothers,  eternal  sons  and  eternal  daughters  ; 
being  eternal  in  their  organization  they  go  from  glory  to 
glory,  from  power  to  power;  they  will  never  cease  to  in- 
crease and  to  multiply,  worlds  without  end  When  they 
receive  their  crowns,  their  dominions,  they  then  will  be  pre- 
pared to  frame  earths  like  unto  ours  and  to  people  them  in 
the  same  manner  as  we  have  been  brought  forth  by  our 
parents,  by  our  Father  and  God  18  259 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  437 

To  be  a  Saint  is  to  be  as  Jesus  was,  to  be  assimilated 
to  the  spirit  and  character  which  he  exhibited  while  here 
on  earth  12  310. 

Unity  in  God's  Work,  the  Strength  of  Zion— Who  can 
resist  the  power  possessed  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  in  their 
union  ?  And  the  stronger  our  union,  the  more  mighty  are 
the  bands  of  our  strength  9  241 

I  wish  the  people  to  understand  that  they  have  no  inter- 
est apart  from  the  Lord  our  God  The  moment  you  have  a 
divided  interest,  that  moment  you  sever  yourselves  from 
eternal  principles  4  -31. 

The  faith  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  calculated  to 
unite  the  people  m  one,  and  to  bring  them  back  to  the  unity 
and  faith  of  those  who  obeyed  the  Gospel  anciently,  and 
finally  to  bring  them  back  to  glory  5  228 

We  have  not  in  our  society  an  aristocratic  circle 
Whether  a  brother  wears  a  coon  skin  cap  or  a  fine  beaver 
hat  is  all  the  same  to  us.  If  a  person  is  a  faithful  servant 
of  God  we  do  not  object  to  his  coming  to  meeting,  though 
he  has  only  a  piece  of  buffalo  skin  to  wear  on  his  head.  We 
partake  of  the  Sacrament  with  him,  hail  him  m  the  street  as 
a  brother  and  a  friend,  converse  with  him,  meet  with  him  in 
social  parties  and  greet  him  as  an  equal  9  -188. 

We  have  been  gathered  from  many  nations,  and  speak 
many  languages ,  we  have  been  ruled  by  different  national- 
ities, and  educated  in  different  religions,  yet  we  dwell  to- 
gether in  Utah  under  one  government,  believe  in  the  same 
God  and  worship  him  in  the  same  way,  and  we  are  all  one 
in  Christ  Jesus  The  world  wonder  at  this,  and  fear  the 
union  that  prevails  among  this,  as  they  are  called,  singular 
people.  Why  is  this?  It  is  because  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
Almighty  is  in  the  people,  and  they  follow  its  dictates,  and 


438  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

they  hearken  to  the  truth,  and  live  by  it,  this  unites  them 
in  one,  and  causeth  them  to  dwell  together  in  peace  11 :124 

I  will  give  you  a  text  Except  I  am  one  with  my  good 
brethren,  do  not  say  that  I  arn  a  Latter-day  Saint  We 
must  be  one.  Our  faith  must  be  concentrated  in  one  great 
WOrk — the  building  up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth, 
and  our  works  must  aim  at  the  accomplishment  of  that 
great  purpose.  7 ,280, 

We  have  come  here  to  build  up  Zion  How  shall  we 
do  it^  I  have  told  you  a  great  many  times.  There  is  one 
thing  I  will  say  in  regard  to  it  We  have  got  to  be  united 
in  our  efforts  We  should  go  to  work  with  a  united  faith 
like  the  heart  of  one  man ,  and  whatever  we  do  should  be 
performed  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  we  will  then  be 
blessed  and  prospered  in  all  we  do.  We  have  a  work  on 
hand  whose  magnitude  can  hardly  be  told  13  155. 

Now,  besides  being  our  duty  to  pray,  it  is  our  duty  to 
live  in  peace  with  one  another  It  is  also  our  duty  to  love 
the  Gospel  and  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  so  that  we  can 
become  one  in  the  Lord,  not  out  of  him,  that  our  faith,  our 
affections  for  the  truth,  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  our  acts, 
all  our  labor  will  be  concentrated  in  the  salvation  of  the 
children  of  men,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  on  the  earth  This  is  co-operation  on  a  very  large 
scale  This  is  the  work  of  redemption  that  is  entered  into 
by  the  Latter-day  Saints  Unitedly  we  perform  these  duties, 
we  stand,  we  endure,  we  increase  and  multiply,  we 
strengthen  and  spread  abroad,  and  shall  continue  so  to  do 
until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  the  kingdoms  of  our 
God  and  his  Christ  15.63 

To  Saint  and  sinner,  believer  and  unbeliever,  I  wish  here 
to  offer  one  word  of  advice  and  counsel,  by  revealing  the 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  439 

mystery  that  abides  with  this  people  called  Latter-day 
Saints,  it  is  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  that  leads  them; 
it  is  the  Spirit  of  the  Almighty  that  binds  them  together, 
it  is  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  that  makes  them  love 
each  other  like  little  children ;  it  is  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  makes  them  willing  to  lay  down  their  lives  for  the  cause 
of  Truth ;  and  it  was  that  same  Spirit  that  caused  Joseph, 
our  martyred  Prophet,  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  testimony 
of  what  the  Lord  revealed  to  him  This  mystery,  the  great 
mystery  of  "Mormonistn,"  is,  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
binds  the  hearts  of  the  people  together.  Let  the  world  look 
at  it  M45. 

If  we  will  live  so  that  Christ  can  make  us  one  through 
our  obedience,  where  are  wars  and  contentions ?  All  will 
cease  Where  is  the  spirit  of  bickering?  There  will  be  no 
more  of  it  14.209. 

The  religion  of  heaven  unites  the  hearts  of  the  people 
and  makes  them  one.  You  may  gather  a  people  together, 
and  no  matter  how  widely  they  differ  in  politics,  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ  will  make  them  one,  even  if  among  them 
were  found  members  of  all  the  political  parties  in  the  coun- 
try If  members  of  all  these  various  organizations  were 
to  obey  the  Gospel  and  gather  together,  the  religion  of 
heaven  would  clear  their  hearts  of  all  political  rubbish  and 
make  them  one  in  voting  for  principles  and  measures,  in- 
stead of  men,  and  I  think  that  any  religion  that  will  not 
do  this  is  very  feeble  in  its  effects.  14  159 

Advantage  of  Temporal  Unity— Would  you  like  to  live 
at  ease  and  get  rich?  Would  you  like  to  keep  your  homes 
in  this  city?  I  know  you  would  You  can  do  so  by  being 
one  in  all  things.  11 :278 

I  want  you  to  be  united.    If  we  should  build  up  and  or- 


440  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

ganize  a  community,  we  would  have  to  do  it  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  oneness,  and  it  is  one  of  the  simplest  things  I  know 
of.  A  city  of  one  hundred  thousand  or  a  million  of  people 
could  be  united  into  a  perfect  family,  and  they  would  work 
together  as  beautifully  as  the  different  parts  of  the  carding 
machine  work-  together  Why,  we  could  organize  millions 
into  a  family  under  the  Order  of  Enoch  16 :170. 

I  can  see  no  good  accruing  to  this  community  in  main- 
taining a  divided  interest ,  our  interest  must  be  one  through- 
out, in  order  to  produce  the  good  we  desire. 

If  we  will  work  unitedly,  we  can  work  ourselves  into 
wealth,  health,  prosperity  and  power,  and  this  is  required 
of  us  It  is  the  duty  of  a  Saint  of  God  to  gain  all  the  in- 
fluence he  can  on  this  earth,  and  to  use  every  particle  of 
that  influence  to  do  good  If  this  is  not  his  duty,  I  do  not 
understand  \\hat  the  duty  of  man  is.  12  376. 

If  we  would  work  together  in  our  farming,  in  our 
mechanism,  be  obedient  and  work  as  a  family  for  the  good 
of  all,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  anybody  to  guess 
the  success  we  would  have  But  we  have  got  to  do  it  in  the 
Lord.  We  must  not  do  it  with  a  covetous  heart  Always 
be  ready  and  willing  that  the  Lord  should  have  it  all,  and 
do  what  he  pleases  with  it.  I  have  asked  a  favor  of  the 
Lord  in  this  thing,  and  that  is  not  to  place  me  in  such  cir- 
cumstances that  xvhat  he  has  given  me  shall  go  into  the 
hands  of  our  enemies.  God  forbid  that!  But  let  it  go  for 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  to  sustain  and  to  gather  the 
poor,  to  build  factories,  make  farms,  and  set  the  poor  to 
work,  as  I  have  hundreds  and  thousands  that  had  not  any- 
thing to  do.  I  have  fed  and  clothed  them  and  taken  care  of 
them  until  they  have  become  comparatively  independent, 
I  have  made  no  man  poor,  but  thousands  and  thousands 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  441 

rich,  that  is,  the  Lord  has,  through  your  humble  servant 
15.166. 

Suppose  there  was  a  union  of  effort  in  every  political 
and  financial  matter  undertaken  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole 
people,  who  cannot  see  the  good  that  would  result?  We 
have  tried  this  to  some  extent  in  relation  to  our  markets 
here,  but  suppose  we  were  fully  agreed  on  the  point,  we 
could  demand  a  fair  price  for  our  products,  and  we  need 
not  be  imposed  upon  by  traders  and  traffickers  If  we  were 
agreed  we  could  supply  ourselves  from  distant  markets,  say 
with  our  clothing,  at  a  far  less  cost  than  now,  12.35. 

Now  the  object  is  to  improve  the  minds  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth,  until  we  learn  what  we  are  here  for,  and 
become  one  before  the  Lord,  that  we  may  rejoice  together 
and  be  equal  Not  to  make  all  poor,  no  The  whole  world 
is  before  us.  The  earth  is  here,  and  the  fulness  thereof  is 
here.  It  was  made  for  man ;  and  one  man  was  not  made  to 
trample  his  fellowman  under  his  feet,  and  enjoy  all  his 
heart  desires,  while  the  thousands  suffer  We  will  take 
a  moral  view,  a  political  view,  and  we  see  the  inequality 
that  exists  in  the  human  family.  We  take  the  inhabitants 
of  the  civilized  world,  and  how  many  laboring  men  are  there 
in  proportion  to  the  inhabitants  ?  About  one  to  every  five 
that  are  producers,  and  the  supposition  is  that  ten  hours1 
work  by  the  one  to  three  persons  in  the  twenty-four  hours 
will  support  the  five.  It  is  an  unequal  condition  to  man- 
kind We  see  servants  that  labor  early  and  late,  and  that 
have  not  the  opportunity  of  measuring  their  hours  ten  in 
twenty-four.  They  cannot  go  to  school,  nor  hardly  get 
clothing  to  go  to  meeting  in  on  the  Sabbath  I  have  seen 
many  cases  of  this  kind  in  Europe,  when  the  young  lady 
would  have  to  take  her  clothing  on  a  Saturday  night  and 


442     -  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

wash  it,  in  order  that  she  might  go  to  meeting  on  the  Sun- 
day with  a  clean  dress  on  Who  is  she  laboring  for?  For 
those  who,  many  of  them,  are  living  in  luxury.  And,  to 
serve  the  classes  that  are  living  on  them,  the  poor,  labor- 
ing men  and  women  are  toiling,  working  their  lives  out 
to  earn  that  which  will  keep  a  little  life  within  them  Is 
this  equality  ?  No.  What  is  going  to  be  done  ?  The  Lat- 
ter-day Saints  will  never  accomplish  their  mission  until  this 
inequality  shall  cease  on  the  earth.  19.46. 

Unity  Does  Not  Mean  Individual  Uniformity — How 
could  you  ever  get  a  people  equal  with  regard  to  their  pos- 
sessions ?  They  never  can  be,  no  more  than  they  can  be  in 
the  appearance  of  their  faces.  4  29 

We  never  shall  become  one  to  that  extent  that  we  shall 
look  alike  or  possess  precisely  the  same  mental  power  and 
ability ;  this  is  not  the  design  of  heaven.  But  we  expect  to 
become  one  in  all  our  operations  to  bring  forth  the  fulness 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  that  Jesus  may  come 
and  reign  King  of  nations  as  he  does  King  of  Saints.  Shall 
we  call  this  a  union  for  political  purposes?  I  say  it  is  good 
policy  for  people  to  be  of  one  heart  and  mind  in  all  their 
operations.  12  -35. 

The  Co-operative  Movement— This  co-operative  move- 
ment is  only  a  stepping  stone  to  what  is  called  the  Order 
of  Enoch,  but  which  is  in  reality  the  Order  of  Heaven  It 
was  revealed  to  Enoch  when  he  built  up  his  city  and  gath- 
ered the  people  together  and  sanctified  them,  so  that  they 
became  so  holy  and  pure  that  they  could  not  live  among 
the  rest  of  the  people  and  the  Lord  took  them  away,  13 :2 

Now,  I  will  tell  you  the  facts  about  this  movement  We 
started  the  co-operative  system  here  when  we  thought  we 
would  wait  no  longer,  we  opened  the  Wholesale  Co-oper- 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  443 

ative  Store,  and  since  that,  retail  stores  have  been  estab- 
lished, although  some  of  the  latter  were  opened  before  the 
wholesale  store  was  opened.  I  know  this,  that  as  soon  as 
this  movement  was  commenced  the  price  of  goods  came 
down  from  twenty  to  thirty  percent.  I  recollect  very  well, 
after  our  vote  last  October  Conference,  that  it  was  soon 
buzzed  around,  "Why  you  can  get  calico  down  street  at 
eighteen  and  seventeen  cents  a  yard ,"  and  it  came  down  to 
sixteen.  But  when  it  came  down  to  sixteen  cents,  who  had 
a  chance  to  buy  any  ?  Why,  nobody  unless  it  was  just  a  few 
yards  that  were  sold  to  them  as  a'  favor.  But  when  it  came 
to  the  Wholesale  Co-operative  Store  the  price  was  put  at 
sixteen  cents,  and  retail  stores  are  selling  it  today  at  seven- 
teen and  a  half  or  eighteen  cents  a  yard.  12  373 

What  I  have  in  my  mind  with  regard  to  this  co-operative 
business  is  this :  There  are  very  few  people  who  cannot  get 
twenty-five  dollars  to  put  into  one  of  th^se  co-operative 
stores.  There  are  hundreds  and  thousands  of  women  who, 
by  prudence  and  industry,  can  obtain  this  sum.  And  we 
say  to  you  put  your  capital  into  one  of  these  stores  What 
for?  To  bring  you  interest  for  your  money.  Put  your  time 
and  talents  to  usury.  We  have  the  parable  before  us.  If  we 
have  one,  two,  three  or  five  talents,  of  what  advantage  will 
they  be  if  we  wrap  them  in  a  napkin  and  lay  them  away? 
None  at  all  Put  them  out  to  usury.  These  co-operative 
stores  are  instituted  to  give  the  poor  a  little  advantage  as 
well  as  the  rich. 

Brethren,  if  you  will  start  here  and  operate  together  in 
farming,  in  making  cheese,  in  herding  sheep  and  cattle  and 
every  other  kind  of  work,  and  get  a  factory  here  and  co- 
operative store — I  have  been  told  there  is  no  co-operative 
store  here — get  a  good  co-operative  store,  and  operate  to- 


444  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

gether  in  sheep-raising,  store-keeping,  manufacturing  and 
everything  else,  no  matter  what  it  is,  by-and-by,  when  we 
can  plant  ourselves  upon  a  foundation  that  we  cannot  be 
broken  up,  we  shall  then  proceed  to  arrange  a  family  organ- 
ization for  which  we  are  not  yet  quite  prepared.  You  know, 
right  here  in  this  place,  commence  to  carry  on  your  busi- 
ness in  a  co-operative  capacity  In  every  instance  I  could 
show  every  one  of  you  what  a  great  advantage  would  be 
gained  in  working  together,  I  could  reason  it  out  here 
just  how  much  advantage  there  is  in  co-operation  in  your 
lumbering  and  m  your  herding  You  have  men  here,  I  sup- 
pose, who  have  had  an  arm  shot  off;  they  cannot  go  into 
the  canyons  and  get  out  wood.  Another,  perhaps,  has  had 
a  leg  cut  off;  he  cannot  run  here  and  there  like  some  of 
you,  but  he  can  do  something;  he  will  make  a  first-rate 
shopman,  and  at  keeping  books,  perhaps,  he  will  be  one  of 
the  best  He  cannot  take  the  scythe  and  mow ;  he  cannot 
attend  to  a  threshing  machine ;  he  cannot  go  into  the  woods 
lumbering;  he  could  not  herd  well, — but  he  could  go  into 
the  factory,  and  he  can  do  many  things.  Well,  we  can  do 
this  and  keep  up  co-operation.  I  can  take  fifty  men  who 
have  not  a  cent,  and  if  they  would  do  as  I  would  wish  them 
to  do,  they  would  soon  be  worth  their  thousands,  every  one 
of  them.  16*169. 

I  am  prepared  to  prove  to  any  sensible  congregation,  any 
good  philosopher  or  thinking  person  or  people,  who  have 
steady  brain  and  nerve  to  look  at  things  as  they  are,  that 
can  tell  white  from  black  and  daylight  from  midnight  dark- 
ness, that  the  closer  the  connection  in  a  business  point  of 
view  that  a  community  hold  themselves  together,  the 
greater  will  be  their  joy  and  wealth  I  am  prepared  to 
prove,  from  all  the  facts  that  have  existed  or  that  now  exist 


UNITY  AND  CO-OPERATION  445 

in  all  branches  of  human  affairs,  that  union  is  strength,  and 
that  division  is  weakness  and  confusion.    13 :267. 

If  the  people  called  Latter-day  Saints  do  not  become 
one  in  temporal  things,  as  they  are  in  spiritual  things,  they 
will  not  redeem  and  build  up  the  Zion  of  God  upon  the 
earth.  This  co-operative  movement  is  a  stepping  stone. 
We  say  to  the  people,  take  advantage  of  it,  it  is  your  priv- 
ilege. Instead  of  giving  it  into  the  hands  of  a  few  individ- 
uals to  make  their  hundreds  and  thousands,  let  the  people 
generally,  enjoy  the  benefit  arising  from  the  sale  of  mer- 
chandise. I  have  already  told  you  that  this  will  stop  the 
operations  of  many  little  traders,  but  it  will  make  them  pro- 
ducers as  well  as  consumers.  You  will  find  that  if  the  peo- 
ple unitedly  hearken  to  the  counsel  that  is  given  them,  it 
will  not  be  long  before  the  hats,  caps,  bonnets,  boots  and 
shoes,  pants,  coats,  vests  and  underclothing  of  this  entire 
community  will  all  be  made  in  our  midst.  13  -3. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY 

Faith  and  Works — They  who  secure  eternal  life  are 
doers  of  the  word  as  well  as  hearers.  14:37. 

The  grand  difficulty  with  the  people  is  they  do  not  do 
quite  as  well  as  they  know  how;  it  is  that  which  hinders 
us  from  accomplishing'  the  work  given  us  to  do.  19 :220. 

Unless  you  improve  upon  it,  every  correct  principle  ad- 
vanced through  the  authority  of  the  holy  Priesthood  be- 
comes to  you  a  dead  letter.  But  if  you  have  the  life  within 
you,  you  will  grow,  whether  you  stay  at  home  or  come  to 
meeting;  and  every  true  principle,  power,  and  manifesta- 
tion that  God  gives  you,  you  will  improve  upon  and  treas- 
ure up  in  your  hearts.  8 :120. 

Know  whether  you  ought  to  do  a  thing  or  not,  and  if 
you  ought  not,  let  it  alone.  That  is  the  way  to  live.  14:161. 

Time  Should  Be  Spent  Wisely— What  have  we?  Our 
time.  Spend  it  as  you  will.  Time  is  given  to  you ;  and  when 
this  is  spent  to  the  best  possible  advantage  for  promoting 
truth  upon  the  earth,  it  is  placed  to  our  account,  and  blessed 
are  you ;  but  when  we  spend  our  time  in  idleness  and  folly 
it  will  be  placed  against  us.  19 .75. 

We  have  to  give  an  account  of  the  days  we  spend  in 
folly.  1975. 

Idleness  and  wastefulness  are  not  according  to  the  rules 
of  heaven.  Preserve  all  you  can,  that  you  may  have  abund- 
ance to  bless  your  friends  and  your  enemies.  14:44. 

Do  those  things  that  are  necessary  to  be  done  and  let 
those  alone  that  are  not  necessary,  and  we  shall  accom- 
plish more  than  we  do  now.  3 :160. 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  447 

Of  the  time  that  is  allotted  to  man  here  on  the  earth 
there  is  none  to  lose  or  to  run  to  waste  After  suitable 
rest  and  relaxation  there  is  not  a  day,  hour  or  minute  that 
we  should  spend  in  idleness,  but  every  minute  of  every  day 
of  our  lives  we  should  strive  to  improve  our  minds  and  to 
increase  the  faith  o!  the  holy  Gospel,  in  chanty,  patience, 
and  good  works,  that  we  may  grow  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  as  it  is  spoken  and  prophesied  of  and  written 
about.  13  310, 

I  told  them  that  we  brought  nothing  but  knowledge  to 
direct  them  in  their  labors  and  to  teach  them  how  to  employ 
their  time  This  is  the  greatest  wealth  we  possess — to 
know  how  to  direct  our  labors  rightly,  spending  every  hour 
advantageously  for  the  benefit  of  our  wives  and  children 
and  neighbors  12 .172. 

Labor  Indispensable — Is  not  the  upbuilding  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  on  earth  a  temporal  labor  all  the  time?  It  will 
be  built  up  by  physical  force  and  means,  by  manual  labor 
more  than  by  any  particular  mental  effort  of  the  mind. 
3-122 

Everything  connected  with  building  up  Zion  requires 
actual,  severe  labor.  It  is  nonsense  to  talk  about  building 
up  any  kingdom  except  by  labor;  it  requires  the  labor  of 
every  part  of  our  organization,  whether  it  be  mental, 
physical,  or  spiritual,  and  that  is  the  only  way  to  build  u£ 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  3 ,122, 

If  we  are  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  establish 
Zion  upon  the  earth,  we  have  to  labor  with  our  hands,  plan 
with  our  minds,  and  devise  ways  and  means  to  accomplish 
that  object.  3:51. 

You  count  me  out  fifty,  a  hundred,  five  hundred,  or  a 
thousand  of  the  poorest  men  and  women  you  can  find  in 


448  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

this  community,  with  the  means  that  I  have  in  my  pos- 
session, I  will  take  these  ten,  fifty,  hundred,  five  hundred, 
or  a  thousand  people,  and  put  them  to  labor;  but  only 
enough  to  benefit  their  health  and  to  make  their  food  and 
sleep  sweet  unto  them,  and  in  ten  years  I  will  make  that 
community  wealthy.  In  ten  years  I  will  put  six,  a  hundred, 
or  a  thousand  individuals,  whom  we  have  to  support  now 
by  donations,  in  a  position  not  only  to  support  themselves, 
but  they  shall  be  wealthy,  shall  ride  in  their  carriages,  have 
fine  houses  to  live  in,  orchards  to  go  to,  flocks  and  herds 
and  everything-  to  make  them  comfortable  14-88. 

As  was  observed  this  morning,  in  a  wholesome,  lovely, 
excellent  discourse,  we  will  have  to  go  to  work  and  get  the 
gold  out  of  the  mountains  to  lay  down,  if  we  ever  walk  in 
streets  paved  with  gold  The  angels  that  now  walk  m  their 
golden  streets,  and  they  have  the  tree  of  life  within  their 
paradise,  had  to  obtain  that  gold  and  put  it  there.  When 
we  have  streets  paved  with  gold,  we  will  have  placed  it 
there  ourselves  When  we  enjoy  a  Zion  in  its  beauty  and 
glory,  it  will  be  when  we  have  built  it.  If  we  enjoy  the 
Zion  that  we  now  anticipate,  it  will  be  after  we  redeem  and 
prepare  it  If  we  live  in  the  city  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  it 
will  be  because  we  lay  the  foundation  and  build  it  If  we 
do  not  as  individuals  complete  that  work,  we  shall  lay  the 
foundation  for  our  children  and  our  children's  children,  as 
Adam  has  If  we  are  to  be  saved  in  an  ark,  as  Noah  and 
his  family  were,  it  will  be  because  we  build  it  If  the  Gos- 
pel is  preached  to  the  nations,  it  is  because  the  Elders  of 
Israel  m  their  poverty,  without  purse  or  scrip,  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  8 :354~55. 

My  faith  does  not  lead  me  to  think  the  Lord  will  pro- 
Vide  us  with  roast  pigs,  bread  already  buttered,  etc,;  he 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  449 

will  give  us  the  ability  to  raise  the  grain,  to  obtain  the 
fruits  of  the  earth,  to  make  habitations,  to  procure  a  few 
boards  to  make  a  box,  and  when  harvest  comes,  giving  us 
the  gram,  it  is  for  us  to  preserve  it— to  save  the  wheat  un- 
til we  have  one,  two,  five,  or  seven  years'  provisions  on 
hand,  until  there  is  enough  of  the  staff  of  life  saved  by  the 
people  to  bread  themselves  and  those  who  will  come  here 
seeking  for  safety.  10:293. 

Let  Nothing  Go  To  Waste — Take  things  calm  and  easy, 
pick  up  everything,  let  nothing  go  to  waste  14  88. 

Never  let  anything  go  to  waste.  Be  prudent,  save 
everything,  and  what  you  get  more  than  you  can  take  care 
of  yourselves,  ask  your  neighbors  to  help  you  consume 
1  -250. 

Never  consider  that  you  have  bread  enough  around  you 
to  suffer  your  children  to  waste  a  crust  or  a  crumb  of  it 
If  a  man  is  worth  millions  of  bushels  of  wheat  and  corn, 
he  is  not  wealthy  enough  to  suffer  his  servant  girl  to  sweep 
a  single  kernel  of  it  into  the  fire ;  let  it  be  eaten  by  some- 
thing and  pass  again  into  the  earth,  and  thus  fulfil  the  pur- 
pose for  which  it  grew.  Remember  it,  do  not  waste  any- 
thing, but  take  care  of  everything,  1 253. 

There  is  not  a  family  in  this  city,  where  there  are  two, 
three,  four,  or  five  persons,  but  what  can  save  enough  from 
their  table,  from  the  waste  made  by  the  children,  and  what 
must  be  swept  in  the  fire  and  out  of  the  door,  to  make  pork 
sufficient  to  last  them  through  the  year,  or  at  least  all  they 
should  eat.  4:314. 

Go  to  the  poorest  family  in  this  community,  and  I  will 
venture  to  say  that  they  waste  rags  enough  every  year  to 
buy  the  school  books  that  are  needed  for  their  children,  and 
do  even  more.  16:16. 


450  DISCOURSES  OF  B1UGHAM  YOUNG 

If  you  wish  to  get  nch,  save  what  you  get.  A  fool  can 
earn  money,  but  it  takes  a  wise  man  to  save  and  dispose  of 
it  to  his  own  advantage  11  30L 

It  is  to  our  advantage  to  take  good  care  of  the  blessings 
God  bestows  upon  us ;  if  we  pursue  the  opposite  course,  we 
cut  off  the  powei  and  glory  God  designs  we  should  inherit 
It  is  through  our  own  carefulness,  frugality,  and  judgment 
which  God  has  given  us,  that  we  are  enabled  to  preserve 
our  gram,  our  flocks  and  herds,  wives  and  children,  houses 
and  lands,  and  increase  them  around  us,  continually  gain- 
ing power  and  influence  for  ourselves  as  individuals  and 
for  the  Kingdom  of  God  as  a  whole  9*171, 

You  may  see  some  little  girls  around  the  streets  here 
with  their  mothers'  skirts  on,  or  their  sun  bonnets,  and 
with  their  aprons  full  of  dirt.  Your  husbands  buy  you 
calico,  but  you  do  not  know  what  to  do  with  it.  It  is  to  be 
carefully  worn  until  the  last  thread  is  worn  out,  and  then 
put  into  the  rag  bag  to  make  paper  with  4.319, 

It  is  good  policy  and  economy  to  sustain  each  other. 
12:63. 

Use  just  enough  of  your  earnings  to  make  your  bodies 
and  your  families  happy  and  comfortable,  and  save  the 
residue  9:295 

We  Must  be  a  Self-Sustaining  People— We  want  you 
henceforth  to  be  a  self-sustaining  people.  Hear  it,  0  Israel f 
hear  it,  neighbors,  friends  and  enemies,  this  is  what  the 
Lord  requires  of  this  people.  12:285 

Ye  Latter-day  Saints,  learn  to  sustain  yourselves,  pro- 
duce everything  you  need  to  eat,  drink  or  wear ;  and  if  you 
cannot  obtain  all  you  wish  for  today,  learn  to  do  without 
that  which  you  cannot  purchase  and  pay  for,  and  bring 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  451 

your  minds- into  subjection  that  you  must  and  will  live 
within  your  means.  12 :231. 

Who  are  deserving  of  praise?  The  persons  who  take 
care  of  themselves  or  the  ones  who  always  trust  m  the  great 
mercies  of  the  Lord  to  take  care  of  them?  It  is  just  as  con- 
sistent to  expect  that  the  Lord  will  supply  us  with  fruit 
when  we  do  not  plant  the  trees,  or  that  when  we  do  not 
plow  and  sow  and  are  saved  the  labor  of  harvesting,  we 
should  cry  to  the  Lord  to  save  us  from  want,  as  to  ask  him 
to  save  us  from  the  consequences  of  our  own  folly,  disobedi- 
ence and  waste  12  243-244. 

Implicit  faith  and  confidence  in  God  is  for  you  and  me 
to  do  everything  we  can  to  sustain  and  preserve  ourselves , 
and  the  community  that  works  together,  heart  and  hand,  to 
accomplish  this,  their  efforts  will  be  like  the  efforts  of  one 
man,  4:25, 

Brethren,  learn  You  have  learned  a  good  deal,  it  is 
true;  but  learn  more;  learn  to  sustain  yourselves;  lay  up 
gram  and  flour,  and  save  it  against  a  day  of  scarcity.  Sis- 
ters, do  not  ask  your  husbands  to  sell  the  last  bushel  of 
grain  you  have  to  buy  something  for  you  out  of  the  stores, 
but  aid  your  husbands  in  storing  it  up  against  a  day  of 
want,  and  always  have  a  year's,  or  two,  provision  on  hand 
12204 

Instead  of  searching"  after  what  the  Lord  is  going  to 
do  for  us,  let  us  inquire  what  we  can  do  for  ourselves.  9 .172. 

The  first  revelation  given  to  Adam  was  of  a  temporal 
nature  Most  of  the  revelations  he  received  pertained  to 
his  life  here.  That  was  also  the  case  in  the  revelations  to 
Noah  We  have  but  very  few  of  the  instructions  the  Lord 
gave  to  Enoch,  concerning  his  city ,  but,  doubtless,  most  of 
the  revelations  he  received  pertained  to  a  temporal  nature 


452  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

and  condition.  And  certainly  the  revelations  Noah  re- 
ceived, so  far  as  in  our  possession,  almost  exclusively  per- 
tained to  this  life  The  same  principle  was  earned  out  in 
the  days  of  Moses,  and  in  the  days  of  his  fathers,  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob  We  may  say  that  eight  or  nine-tenths  of 
the  doctrines  and  principles  set  forth  in  the  revelations 
given  to  those  men  were  of  a  temporal  nature 

As  soon  as  Moses  was  called  upon  to  go  and  deliver 
Israel,  the  revelations  the  Lord  gave  to  him  were  of  a  tem- 
poral nature,  pertaining  to  the  temporal  life  of  the  children 
of  Israel — instructing  Moses  how  to  deliver  them  from 
bondage  and  lead  them  from  the  servile  slate  in  which  they 
then  were  He  taught  them  in  the  same  manner  while  they 
were  traveling  through  the  wilderness ;  and  so  it  continued 
down  to  the  days  of  the  judges,  and  then  to  Saul,  whom 
the  Lord  permitted  them  to  make  a  king,  and  then  through 
the  teachings  of  the  Prophets  6-170 

Whatever  the  Latter-day  Saints  have  gained  has  been 
obtained  by  sheer  wrestling  and  unconquerable  resolution, 
13-93. 

As  an  instance,  we  have  men  who  quarry  rock  out  of  the 
mountains;  and  we  would  say  to  those  men,  can  you  go 
and  quarry  rock  without  the  suitable  instruments?  Says 
one,  "I  must  have  so  many  picks  and  wedges,  and  I  must 
have  so  many  drills  of  different  sizes,  and  so  many  sledges 
and  hammers  "  Another  man  says,  fl  am  going  to  make 
the  tools;  I  have  the  ability,  and  I  will  make  the  instru- 
ments from  the  ore  in  the  mountain  "  You  remember  what 
Nephi  did  When  he  came  to  the  sea,  and  prepared  to  build 
his  barge,  the  Lord  showed  him  the  ore,  and  Nephi  made 
the  tools  with  which  he  formed  his  barge.  He  did  not  have 
to  go  back  to  Jerusalem  to  get  tools.  I  would  like  to  see  a 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  453 

little  more  of  that  skill  displayed  here  than  I  do  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  I  am  using  this  comparison  to  show  that  we,  in 
our  poverty,  have  this  work  to  do  8  -354 

The  Elements  of  Wealth  are  Around  Us — I  say  to  my 
brethren  and  sisters,  come  let  us  learn  how  to  gather  around 
us  from  the  elements  an  abundance  of  every  comfort  of 
life,  and  convert  them  to  our  wants  and  happiness.  Let  us 
not  remain  ignorant,  with  the  ignorant,  but  let  us  show  the 
ignorant  how  to  be  wise.  10 :6. 

The  Lord  has  done  his  share  of  the  work;  he  has  sur- 
rounded us  with  the  elements  containing  wheat,  meat,  flax, 
wool,  silk,  fruit,  and  everything  with  which  to  build  up, 
beautify  and  glorify  the  Zion  of  the  last  days,  and  it  is  our 
business  to  mould  these  elements  to  our  wants  and  neces- 
sities, according  to  the  knowledge  we  now  have  and  the 
wisdom  we  can  obtain  from  the  heavens  through  our  faith- 
fulness. In  this  way  will  the  Lord  bring  again  Zion  upon 
the  earth,  and  in  no  other.  9 :283. 

While  we  have  a  rich  soil  in  this  valley,  and  seed  to  put 
in  the  ground,  we  need  not  ask  God  to  feed  us,  nor  follow 
us  round  with  a  loaf  of  bread  begging  of  us  to  eat  it  He 
will  not  do  it,  neither  would  I,  were  I  the  Lord  We  can 
feed  ourselves  here;  and  if  we  are  ever  placed  in  circum- 
stances where  we  cannot,  it  will  then  be  time  enough  for 
the  Lord  to  work  a  miracle  to  sustain  us,  1 :108. 

It  is  our  duty  to  be  active  and  diligent  in  doing  every- 
thing we  can  to  sustain  ourselves,  to  build  up  his  King- 
dom, to  defend  ourselves  against  our  enemies,  to  lay  our 
plans  wisely,  and  to  prosecute  every  method  that  can  be 
devised  to  establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and 
to  sanctify  and  prepare  ourselves  to  dwell  in  his  presence 
Yet,  after  all  this,  if  the  Lord  should  not  help— if  he  should 


454  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHA3J   YOUNG 

not  lend  his  aid  to  our  endeavors,  all  our  labors  will  prove 
In  vain.    2279-280, 

This  world  is  before  us  The  gold,  silver  and  precious 
stones  are  in  the  mountains,  in  the  rivers,  in  the  plains,  in 
the  sands  and  in  the  waters,  they  all  belong  to  this  world, 
and  you  and  I  belong  to  this  world  Is  there  enough  to  make 
each  of  us  a  finger  ring7  Certainly  there  is.  Is  there  enough 
to  make  us  a  breast  pin?  Certainly  theie  is  Is  there 
enough  to  make  jewelry  for  the  ladies  to  set  their  diamonds 
and  precious  stones  in?  Certainly  there  is.  Is  there 
enough  to  make  the  silver  plate,  the  spoons,  platters,  plates 
and  knives  and  forks ?  There  is  There  is  plenty  of  it  in  the 
earth  for  all  these  purposes  Then  what  on  earth  are  you 
and  I  quarrelling  about  it  for  ?  Go  to  work  systematically 
and  take  it  from  the  mountains,  and  put  it  to  the  use  that 
we  want  it,  without  contending  against  each  other,  and 
filching  the  pockets  of  each  other.  The  world  is  full  of  it. 
If  it  goes  fiom  my  pocket  it  is  still  m  the  world,  it  still  be- 
longs to  this  little  ball,  this  little  speck  in  God's  creation, 
so  small  that  from  the  sun  I  expect  you  would  have  to  have 
a  telescope  that  would  magnify  it  many  times  to  see  it; 
and  from  any  of  the  fixed  stars  I  do  not  expect  that  it  has 
ever  been  seen,  only  by  the  celestials— mortals  could  not 
see  this  earth  at  that  distance.  And  here  people  are  con- 
tending, quarrelling,  seeking  how  to  get  the  advantage  of 
each  other,  and  how  to  get  all  the  wealth  there  is  in  the 
world;  wanting  to  rule  nations,  wanting  to  be  president, 
king  or  ruler.  What  would  they  do  if  they  were?  Most 
of  them  would  make  everybody  around  them  miserable, 
that  is  what  they  would  do.  There  are  very  few  men  on 
the  earth  who  try  to  make  people  happy.  Occasionally 
there  have  been  emperors  and  monarchs  who  have  made 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  455 

their  people  happy  but  they  have  been  very  rare  But  sup- 
pose we  go  to  work  to  gather  up  all  that  there  is  in  the 
bosom  and  upon  the  surface  o£  our  mother  earth  and  bring 
it  into  use,  is  there  any  lack?  There  is  not,  there  is  enough 
for  all.  Then  do  look  at  these  things  as  they  are,  Latter- 
day  Saints,  and  you  who  are  not  Latter-day  Saints,  look 
at  things  as  they  are.  And  I  do  hope  and  pray  for  your 
sakes,  outsiders,  and  for  the  sakes  of  those  who  profess  to 
be  Latter-day  Saints,  that  we  shall  have  good  peace  for  a 
time  here,  so  that  we  can  build  our  furnaces,  open  our 
mines,  make  our  railroads,  till  the  soil,  follow  our  mercan- 
tile business  uninterrupted ;  that  we  may  attend  to  the  busi- 
ness of  beautifying  the  earth  15 .19. 

Agriculture — The  increase  of  our  children,  and  their 
growing  up  to  maturity,  increases  our  responsibilities.  More 
land  must  be  brought  into  cultivation  to  supply  their  wants 
This  will  press  the  necessity  of  digging  canals  to  guide  the 
waters  of  our  large  streams  over  the  immense  tracts  of 
bench  and  bottom  lands  which  now  lie  waste.  We  want 
our  children  to  remain  near  us,  where  there  is  an  abundance 
of  land  and  water,  and  not  go  hundreds  of  miles  away  to 
seek  homes  In  these  great  public  improvements  the  peo- 
ple should  enter  with  heart  and  soul,  and  freely  invest  in 
them  their  surplus  property  and  means,  and  thus  prepare 
to  locate  the  vast  multitudes  of  our  children  which  are 
growing  up,  and  strengthen  our  hands,  and  solidify  still 
more— make  still  more  compact  our  present  organized 
spiritual  and  national  institutions,  11:116 

You  have  a  living  off  an. acre  and  a  quarter  of  land. 
Such  a  little  farm  well  tilled  and  well  managed,  and  the 
products  of  it  economically  applied,  will  do  wonders  to- 
wards keeping  and  educating  a  small  family.  Let  the  little 


456  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

children  do  their  part,  when  they  are  not  engaged  in  their 
studies,  in  knitting  their  stockings  and  mittens,  braiding 
straw  for  their  hats,  or  spinning  yarn  for  their  frocks  and 
underclothing  If  this  people  would  strictly  observe  these 
simple  principles  of  economy,  they  would  soon  become  so 
rich  that  they  would  not  have  room  sufficient  to  hold  their 
abundance ;  their  store-houses  would  run  over  with  fulness 
11  142. 

Now,  cultivate  your  farms  and  gardens  well,  and  drive 
your  stock  to  where  they  can  live  through  the  winter,  if 
you  have  not  feed  for  them.  Do  not  keep  so  many  cattle, 
or,  in  other  words,  more  than  you  can  well  provide  for  and 
make  profitable  to  yourselves  and  to  the  Kingdom  of  God 
We  have  hundreds  and  thousands  of  fat  cattle  upon  the 
ranges,  and  yet  we  have  no  beef  to  eat,  or  very  little.  Kill 
your  cattle  when  they  are  fat,  and  salt  down  the  meat,  that 
you  may  have  meat  to  eat  in  the  winter  and  some  to  dis- 
pose of  to  your  neighbors  for  their  labor  to  extend  your 
improvements  Lay  up  your  meat,  and  not  let  it  die  on 
your  hands.  Such  a  course  is  not  right.  Cattle  are  made 
for  our  use,  let  us  take  care  of  them  11  142. 

I  intend  to  plant  and  sow,  not  only  in  the  month  of  May, 
but  in  the  month  of  June,  and  in  the  month  of  July,  and  I 
will  continue  my  labors  to  raise  what  is  necessary  to  sus- 
tain life,  as  long  as  the  season  lasts  2  '280. 

Let  groves  of  olive  trees  be  planted,  and  vineyards  of 
the  most  approved  varieties  of  grapes,  and  let  sweet  po- 
tatoes be  raised  in  abundance,  and  all  trees  and  roots  that 
bear  fruit  in  the  ground  and  above  the  ground  that  can  be 
used  as  food  for  man  and  beast,  that  plenty  may  flow  in 
the  land  like  a  river,  and  contentment  be  enthroned  in  every 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  457 

household,  while  industry,  frugality,  and  peace  prevail  ev- 
erywhere 10.227. 

Instead  of  people  being  poor,  we  already  have  too  much, 
unless  we  take  better  care  of  it  I  heard  a  man  who  is  liv- 
ing in  this  city — one  who  has  always  been  well  off— state 
that  he  used  to  keep  twelve  cows  when  he  first  came  here, 
and  was  often  nearly  destitute  of  milk  and  butter.  After  a 
few  years,  the  number  of  his  cows  was  reduced  to  six,  and 
he  said  that  the  six  did  him  more  good  than  the  twelve  had 
done  In  two  years  more,  they  were  reduced  to  two,  and 
the  two  cows  have  done  him  much  more  good  than  the 
twelve  or  the  six  did,  for  they  could  be  and  were  more 
properly  attended  to.  4:317, 

Everything  which  we  use  to  feed  the  life  of  man  or 
beast,  not  a  gram  of  it  should  be  permitted  to  go  to  waste, 
but  should  be  made  to  pass  through  the  stomach  of  some 
animal;  everything,  also,  which  will  fertilize  our  gardens 
and  our  fields  should  be  sedulously  saved  and  wisely  hus- 
banded, that  nothing  may  be  lost  which  contains  the  ele- 
ments of  food  and  raiment  for  man  and  sustenance  for 
beast  11  130. 

Save  your  hay;  save  your  chaff;  save  your  straw,  save 
your  wheat;  save  your  oats;  save  your  barley,  and  every- 
thing _that  can  be  saved  and  preserved  against  a  day  of 
want  12.241. 

Wives,  go  into  the  garden  and  raise  the  salad  and 
numerous  other  articles  within  your  judgment  and  strength 
Who  hindered  you  from  making  a  little  vinegar  last  year? 
People  are  frequently  running  round  and  asking,  "Where 
can  I  buy  some  vinegar?"  When  I  was  keeping  a  house, 
if  my  neighbors  had  a  million  hogsheads  of  vinegar,  I  had 
no  need  to  buy  a  spoonful  of  it,  for  I  would  make  a  plenty 


458  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

for  my  own  use,  and  would  have  eggs,  butter,  and  pork, 
of  my  own  production,  and  manage  to  secure  beef,  and  salt 
it  away  nicely,  and  we  had  all  the  essentials  for  comfortable 
diet  4  318. 

What  hinders  you  from  raising  something  to  feed  a 
cow?  Nothing  Who  hinders  you  from  planting  your  gar- 
den with  corn,  and  having  the  suckers  and  the  fodder7  Who 
hinders  you  from  raising  carrots,  parsnips,  etc ,  to  feed  a 
cow  with  through  the  winter?  This  you  can  do  on  a  little 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  but  will  you  do  it?  4:317 

The  riches  of  a  kingdom  or  nation  do  not  consist  so 
much  in  the  fulness  of  its  treasury  as  in  the  fertility  of  its 
soil  and  the  industry  of  its  people.  10  266 

Our  wants  are  many,  but  our  real  necessities  are  very 
few,  Let  us  govern  our  wants  by  our  necessities,  and  we 
shall  find  that  we  are  not  compelled  to  spend  our  money 
for  naught  Let  us  save  our  money  to  enter  and  pay  for 
our  land,  to  buy  flocks  of  sheep  and  improve  them,  and  to 
buy  machinery  and  start  more  woolen  factories,  12  289. 

We  are  not  anxious  to  obtain  gold,  if  we  can  obtain  it 
by  raising  potatoes  and  wheat,  all  right  "Can't  you  make 
yourselves  rich  by  speculating ?"  We  do  not  wish  to 
"Can't  you  make  yourselves  rich  by  going  to  the  gold 
mines ?"  We  are  right  in  -the  midst  of  them  "Why  don't 
you  dig  the  gold  from  the  earth?"  Because  it  demoralizes 
any  community  or  nation  on  the  earth  to  give  them  gold 
and  silver  to  their  hearts'  content,  it  will  ruin  any  nation. 
But  give  them  iron  and  coal,  good  hard  work,  plenty  to 
eat,  good  schools  and  good  doctrine,  and  it  will  make  them 
a  healthy,  wealthy  and  happy  people.  13  -176 

Purchase  cows,  for  if  we  have  not  already  supplied  you 
with  cows,  we  are  able  and  willing  to  do  so  Most,  if  not 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  459 

all,  have  already  been  furnished  with  cows  What  did  you 
do  with  the  calves  ?  "We  sold  them  for  a  trifle  "  Why  did 
you  not  raise  them?  Do  you  not  know  that  they  would 
very  soon  be  valuable  ?  No,  but  you  waste  your  calves. 
neglect  buying  pigs,  and  live  without  milk,  and  many  of 
the  easily  procured  comforts  of  life  4  315 

The  time  will  come  that  gold  will  hold  no  comparison 
in  value  to  a  bushel  of  wheat.  1  250 

When  a  farmer  has  done  with  his  ploughs,  he  should 
put  them  under  shelter  until  they  are  again  wanted  When 
harness  is  taken  off,  it  should  be  so  hung  up  that  you  can 
go  at  any  time  of  night  and  find  it,  or  a  saddle,  bridle, 
saddle-blanket,  or  any  other  trapping,  and  be  ready  at  once 
8-296 

Manufacturing — I  pray  the  Lord  to  hedge  up  the  way 
and  shut  down  the  gate  so,  that  we  may  be  compelled  to  de- 
pend upon  our  own  manufacturing  for  the  comforts  of  life 
767 

Also  raise  flax,  and  prepare  it  for  the  women  to  manu- 
facture into  summer  clothing  4  316 

Save  your  wool,  and  send  it  to  the  factory  If  we  want 
a  little  cotton  cloth,  we  can  raise  it  in  the  southern  country , 
and  we  could  raise  some  here  as  well  as  in  some  other 
places.  We  can  raise  about  two  gatherings  19:73. 

I  want  them  to  save  their  wool  and  to  keep  it  in  this 
Territory.  If  we  have  not  factories  sufficient  to  work  up 
all  the  wool  that  grows  in  this  Territory,  and  in  these 
mountains,  we  will  send  and  get  more  machinery,  and  build 
more  factories,  and  work  up  the  wool  for  the  people.  15:159, 

Go  and  build  a  tannery,  that  the  hides  that  come  off  our 
beef  cattle,  can  be  made  into  leather.  19  73 

We  want  glass,    Some  man  will  cotne  along,  by  and  by, 


460  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

and  take  the  quartz  rock,  rig  up  a  little  furnace  and  make 
glass  9.31. 

By-and-by  some  man  will  come  along,  not  worth  fifty 
dollars,  and  take  the  feldspar,  which  enters  so  largely  into 
our  granite  rock,  and  make  the  best  of  chinaware.  9  31 

Dye-stuffs  have  opened  another  drain  through  which 
considerable  of  our  money  has  passed  off  Wherever  In- 
dian corn  will  flourish  madder  can  be  produced  in  great 
quantities,  yet  we  have  been  paying  out  our  money  to 
strangers  for  this  article.  Indigo  can  be  successfully  and 
profitably  raised  in  this  region  10.226 

Importing1  sugar  has  been  a  great  dram  upon  our  float- 
ing currency.  I  am  satisfied  that  it  is  altogether  unneces- 
sary to  purchase  sugar  in  a  foreign  market.  The  sorghum 
is  a  profitable  crop,  in  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  adjoining 
counties,  for  the  manufacture  of  molasses;  in  this  section 
it  can  be  profitably  raised  for  the  manufacture  of  sugar.  I 
have  tasted  samples  of  sugar  produced  from  the  sorghum 
raised  in  the  south  of  Utah,  and  a  better  quality  of  raw 
sugar  I  never  saw  Let  some  enterprising  persons  prose- 
cute this  branch  of  home-production,  and  thus  effectually 
stop  another  outlet  for  our  money.  Sugar  ranks  high 
among  the  staples  of  life,  and  should  be  produced  in  great 
abundance  10  226. 

Go  to  and  raise  silk  You  can  do  it,  and  those  who  can- 
not set  themselves  to  work  we  will  set  them  to  work  gath- 
ering straw,  and  making  straw  hats  and  straw  bonnets ;  we 
will  set  others  to  gathering  willow,  and  others  to  making 
baskets ,  we  will  set  others  to  gathering  flags  and  rushes, 
and  to  making  mats,  and  bottoming  chairs  and  making 
carpets.  12  -202 

As  I  told  the  people,  when  we  first  came  into  this  valley 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  461 

in  1847,  there  is  plenty  of  silk  in  the  elements  here,  as  much 
30  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  earth.  9 .32. 

The  capitalists  may  say,  'What  are  we  to  do  with  our 
means?"  Go  and  build  factories  and  have  one,  two,  or 
three  thousand  spindles  going.  Send  for  fifty,  a  hundred, 
or  a  thousand  sheep  and  raise  wool.  Some  of  you  go  to  rais- 
ing flax  and  build  a  factory  to  manufacture  it,  and  do  not 
take  every  advantage  and  pocket  every  dollar  that  is  to  be 
made.  You  are  rich  and  I  want  to  turn  the  stream  so  as  to 
do  good  to  the  whole  community.  13 :36. 

Commerce — It  may  be  said  that  we  shall  always  be  poor 
without  commerce;  we  shall  always  be  poor  with  it,  unless 
we  command  it;  and  unless  we  can  do  this,  we  are  better 
without  it.  11 :134. 

But,  again,  with  regaid  to  this  railroad;  when  it  is 
through,  even  in  ordinary  times  it  opens  to  us  the  market, 
and  we  are  at  the  door  of  New  York,  right  at  the  threshold 
of  the  Emporium  of  the  United  States.  We  can  send  our 
butter,  eggs,  cheese,  and  fruits  and  receive  in  return  oysters, 
clams,  cod  fish,  mackerel,  oranges,  and  lemons.  Let  me 
say  more  to  you — do  up  your  peaches  in  the  best  style,  for 
they  will  want  them.  12:54. 

Whatsoever  administers  to  the  sustenance,  comfort  and 
health  of  mankind  forms  the  basis  of  the  commerce  of  the 
world.  Gold  and  silver  in  coin  are  only  valuable  as  mediums 
to  facilitate  exchange.  They  can  be  made  useful  to  us  and 
add  to  our  comfort  when  made  into  cups,  plates,  etc.,  in  our 
household  economy.  10:227. 

Recollect  that  in  trading  there  is  great  advantage  in 
turning  over  your  capital  often.  13 :35. 

Are  our  merchants  honest?  I  could  not  be  honest  and 
do  as  they  do ;  they  make  five  hundred  percent  on  some  of 


462  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

their  goods,  and  that,  too,  fiom  an  innocent,  confiding,  poor, 
industrious  people  11  114, 

Capital  and  Labor— All  the  capital  there  is  upon  the 
earth  is  the  bone  and  smew  of  workingmen  and  women. 
Were  it  not  for  that,  the  gold  and  the  silver  and  the  prec- 
ious stones  would  remain  m  the  mountains,  upon  the  plains 
and  in  the  valleys,  and  never  would  be  gathered  or  brought 
into  use  The  timber  would  continue  to  grow,  but  none 
of  it  would  be  brought  into  service,  and  the  earth  would 
remain  as  it  is;  but  it  is  the  activity  and  labor  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  that  bring  forth  the  wealth.  Labor 
builds  our  meeting-houses,  temples,  court  houses,  fine  halls 
for  music  and  fine  school  houses,  it  is  labor  that  teaches 
our  children,  and  makes  them  acquainted  with  the  various 
branches  of  education,  that  makes  them  proficient  in  their 
own  language  and  in  other  languages,  and  in  every  branch 
of  knowledge  understood  by  the  children  of  men;  and  all 
this  enhances  the  wealth  and  the  glory  and  the  comfort  of 
any  people  on  the  earth,  16 ,66, 

We  say  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  work  for  these  capital- 
ists, and  work  honestly  and  faithfully,  and  they  will  pay  you 
faithfully  I  am  acquainted  with  a  good  many  of  them,  and 
as  far  as  I  know  them,  I  do  not  know  but  every  one  is  an 
honorable  man  They  are  capitalists,  they  want  to  make 
money,  and  they  want  to  make  it  honestly  and  according 
to  the  principles  of  honest  dealing.  If  they  have  means  and 
are  determined  to  risk  it  in  opening  mines  you  work  for 
them  by  the  day.  Haul  their  ores,  build  their  furnaces  and 
take  your  pay  for  it,  and  enter  your  lands,  build  houses, 
improve  your  farms,  buy  your  stock,  and  make  yourselves 
better  off.  14  85. 

There  are  many  in  the  city  of  New  York  who  never 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  463 

went  to  school  a  day  in  their  lives ;  they  are  wallowing  in 
the  gutter,  ragged,  dirty,  and  filthy  They  learn  sharpness, 
it  is  true,  but  where  do  they  sleep ?  By  the  wayside,  or 
crawl  into  some  old  building— girls  and  boys,  and  live  there 
by  the  thousand.  They  have  not  a  shelter  to  place  their 
heads  under,  but  when  night  comes  their  only  refuge  is  old 
buildings,  hovels,  and  corners  of  streets  foisaken  by  the 
police,  and  there  they  must  spend  the  night.  Why  not  take 
such  characters  and  bring  them  out  to  this  country,  or  to 
California,  Oregon,  or  to  the  plains  of  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin, etc.,  and  make  a  town,  settle  up  the  country,  and 
make  these  poor,  miserable  creatures  better  off?  You  would 
prove  yourselves  worthy  of  existence  on  the  earth  if  you 
would.  14.84. 

To  pay  people  the  wages  they  want  here  would  prevent 
us  from  raising  silk  profitably.  We  look  forward  to  thf 
period  when  the  price  of  labor  here  will  be  brought  to  a 
reasonable  and  judicious  standard  12  202 

Time  and  the  ability  to  labor  are  the  capital  stock  of 
the  whole  world  of  mankind,  and  we  are  all  indebted  to 
God  for  the  ability  to  use  time  to  advantage,  and  he  will 
require  of  us  a  strict  account  of  the  disposition  we  make  of 
this  ability ;  and  he  will  not  only  require  an  account  of  our 
acts,  but  our  words  and  thoughts  will  also  be  brought  into 
judgment.  18  *73. 

A  young  woman,  compelled  to  labor  for  her  daily  bread, 
applies  for  work  to  some  lady  in  comfortable  circumstances 
The  lady  perhaps  says,  "What  wages  do  you  want?"  "I 
do  not  know.  What  will  you  give  me?"  The  reply  is,  prob- 
ably, "Well,  I  will  give  you  fifty  cents  a  week  and  your 
board,  but  I  shall  want  you  to  do  my  washing,  ironing, 
milking,  scrubbing,  and  cooking,"  the  whole  of  it,  most 


464  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

likely,  keeping  the  poor  girl  at  work  from  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  until  ten  at  night  Yet  her  poverty  leaves  her  no 
choice,  and  she  is  compelled  to  become  a  slave  in  order  to 
procure,  day  by  day,  her  breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper.  It 
is  probable  that  if  her  father  be  alive  he  is  too  poor  to  help 
her ,  and  if  she  has  a  mother  she  may  be  a  widow  and  un- 
able to  rescue  her  from  a  life  of  toil  and  slavery.  A  lady, 
whom  I  knew  in  my  youth,  the  wife  of  a  minister,  where  I 
used  to  attend  meeting-,  said  once  to  some  of  her  sisters  in 
the  church,  "Do  you  suppose  that  we  shall  be  under  the 
necessity  of  eating  with  our  hired  help  when  we  get  into 
heaven?  We  do  not  do  it  here,  and  I  have  an  idea  that 
there  will  be  two  tables  in  heaven."  Yet  she  was  a  lady 
of  refinement  and  education,  still  the  traditions  that  had 
been  woven  into  her  very  being  proved  the  folly  she  pos- 
sessed to  ask  such  a  question.  14.99 

Let  mechanics  and  every  man  who  has  capital  create 
business  and  give  employment  and  means  into  the  hands 
of  laborers,  build  good  and  commodious  houses,  magnifi- 
cent temples,  spacious  tabernacles,  lofty  halls,  and  every 
other  kind  of  structure  that  will  give  character  and  grandeur 
to  our  cities  and  create  respect  for  our  people.  Let  us  make 
mechanics  of  our  boys,  and  educate  them  in  every  useful 
branch  of  science  and  in  the  history  and  laws  of  kingdoms 
and  nations,  that  they  may  be  fitted  to  fill  any  station  in 
life,  from  a  ploughman  to  a  philosopher.  10.270. 

The  non-producer  must  live  on  the  products  of  those 
who  labor  There  is  no  other  way  If  we  all  labor  a  few 
hours  a  day,  we  could  then  spend  the  remainder  of  our  time 
in  rest  and  the  improvement  of  our  minds.  This  would 
give  an  opportunity  to  the  children  to  be  educated  in  the 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  465 

learning  of  the  day,  and  to  possess  all  the  wisdom  of  man 
19:47. 

Do  not  oppress  the  poor,  but  trust  in  God,  and  you 
will  go  neither  hungry,  naked,  nor  thirsty.  If  you  oppress 
the  poor,  the  day  will  come  when  you  will  be  naked,  thirsty, 
and  hungry,  and  will  not  be  able  to  get  anything  to  supply 
your  wants.  8 :73. 

Build  Good  Houses  and  Beautiful  Cities— Let  the  peo- 
ple build  good  houses,  plant  good  vineyards  and  orchards, 
make  good  roads,  build  beautiful  cities  in  which  may  be 
found  magnificent  edifices  for  the  convenience  of  the  pub- 
lic, handsome  streets  skirted  with  shade  trees,  fountains 
of  water,  crystal  streams,  and  every  tree,  shrub  and  flower 
that  will  flourish  in  this  climate,  to  make  our  mountain 
home  a  paradise  and  our  hearts  wells  of  gratitude  to  the 
God  of  Joseph,  enjoying  it  all  with  thankful  hearts,  saying 
constantly,  "not  mine  but  thy  will  be  done,  0  Father." 
10:3. 

Beautify  your  gardens,  your  houses,  your  farms;  beau- 
tify the  city.  This  will  make  us  happy,  and  produce  plenty. 
The  earth  is  a  good  earth,  the  elements  are  good  if  we  will 
use  them  for  our  own  benefit,  in  truth  and  righteousness. 
Then  let  us  be  content,  and  go  to  with  our  mights  to  make 
ourselves  healthy,  wealthy,  and  beautiful,  and  preserve 
ourselves  in  the  best  possible  manner,  and  live  just  as  long 
as  we  can,  and  do  all  the  good  we  can  15  £0. 

Every  improvement  that  we  make  not  only  adds  to  our 
comfort  but  to  our  wealth.  16:64. 

Make  good  houses;  learn  how  to  build;  become  good 
mechanics  and  business  men,  that  you  may  know  how  to 
build  a  house,  a  barn,  or  a  store-house,  how  to  make  a  farm, 
and  how  to  raise  stock,  and  take  every  care  of  it  by  pro- 


466  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

vidmg  proper  shelter  and  every  suitable  convenience  for 
keeping  it  through  the  winter,  and  prove  yourselves  worthy 
of  the  greater  riches  that  will  be  committed  to  you  than 
this  valley  and  what  it  can  produce.  8  -289. 

Accumulate  Property— Efforts  to  accumulate  property 
in  the  correct  channel  are  far  from  being  an  injury  to  any 
community,  on  the  contrary  they  are  highly  beneficial,  pro- 
vided individuals,  with  all  that  they  have,  always  hold 
themselves  in  readiness  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth.  Let  every  man  and  woman 
be  industrious,  prudent,  and  economical  in  their -acts  and 
feelings,  and  while  gathering  to  themselves,  let  each  one 
strive  to  identify  his  or  her  interests  with  the  interests  of 
this  community,  with  those  of  their  neighbor  and  neighbor- 
hood, let  them  seek  their  happiness  and  welfare  in  that  of 
all,  and  we  will  be  blessed  and  prospered,  3  -330 

To  do  right  can  be  reduced  to  perfect  simplicity  in  a 
few  words,  viz.,  from  this  time  henceforth,  let  no  person 
work,  or  transact  any  kind  of  business  whatever,  that  he 
cannot  do  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  1  337. 

This  life  is  worth  as  much  as  any  life  that  any  being 
can  possess  in  time  or  in  eternity  There  is  no  life  more 
precious  to  us  in  the  eye  of  eternal  wisdom  and  justice  than 
the  life  which  we  now  possess  Our  first  duty  is  to  take 
care  of  this  life  11:113. 

To  be  prudent  and  saving,  and  to  use  the  elements  in 
our  possession  for  our  benefit  and  the  benefit  of  our  fellow 
beings  is  wise  and  righteous,  but  to  be  slothful,  wasteful, 
lazy  and  indolent,  to  spend  our  time  and  means  for  naught, 
is  unrighteous.  16:16. 

We  all  believe  that  the  Lord  will  fight  our  battles ;  but 
how?  Will  he  do  it  while  we  are  unconcerned  and  make 


THRIFT  AND  INDUSTRY  467 

no  effort  whatever  for  our  own  safety  when  an  enemy  is 
upon  us?  If  we  make  no  efforts  to  guard  our  towns,  our 
houses,  our  cities,  our  wives  and  children,  will  the  Lord 
guard  them  for  us  ?  He  will  not ;  but  if  we  pursue  the  oppo- 
site course  and  strive  to  help  him  to  accomplish  his  designs, 
then  will  he  fight  our  battles.  We  are  baptized  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins ;  but  it  would  be  quite  as  reasonable  to  ex- 
pect remission  of  sins  without  baptism,  as  to  expect  the 
Lord  to  fight  our  battles  without  our  taking  every  pre- 
caution to  be  prepared  to  defend  ourselves.  The  Lord  re- 
quires us  to  be  quite  as  willing  to  fight  our  own  battles  as 
to  have  him  fight  them  for  us.  If  we  are  not  ready  for  an 
enemy  when  he  comes  upon  us,  we  have  not  lived  up  to 
the  requirements  of  him  who  guides  the  ship  of  Zion,  or 
who  dictates  the  affairs  of  his  Kingdom.  11 :131. 

Debt— Pay  your  debts,  we  will  help  you  to  do  so,  but 
do  not  run  into  debt  any  more.  14:105. 

Be  prompt  in  everything,  and  especially  to  pay  your 
debts,  14:279. 

A  man  who  will  run  into  debt,  when  he  has  no  prospect 
of  paying  it  back  again,  does  not  understand  the  principles 
that  should  prevail  in  a  well  regulated  community,  or  he  is 
wilfully  dishonest  11:258.  , 

A  man  who  will  not  pay  his  honest  debts  is  no  Latter- 
day  Saint,  if  he  has  the  means  to  pay  them.  11 :258. 

It  is  bad  enough,  quite  bad  enough,  to  borrow  from  an 
enemy  and  not  to  repay  him;  to  do  this  is  beneath  the  char- 
acter of  any  human  being;  but  all  who  will  borrow  from  a 
friend,  and  especially  from  the  poor,  are  undeserving  the 
fellowship  of  the  Saints  if  they  do  not  repay,  14:276. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
WEALTH 

Wealth  Belongs  to  the  Lord— Earthly  riches  are  con- 
cealed in  the  elements  God  has  given  to  man,  and  the 
essence  of  wealth  is  power  to  organize  from  these  elements 
every  comfort  and  convenience  of  life  for  our  sustenance 
here,  and  for  eternal  existence  hereafter.  The  possession 
of  all  the  gold  and  silver  in  the  world  would  not  satisfy  the 
cravings  of  the  immortal  soul  of  man.  The  gift  of  the 
Holy  "Spirit  of  the  Lord  alone  can*  produce  a  good,  whole- 
some, contented  mind  Instead  of  looking  for  gold  and 
silver,  look  to  the  heavens  and  try  to  learn  wisdom  until 
you  can  organize  the  native  elements  for  your  benefit; 
then,  and  not  until  then,  will  you  begin  to  possess  the  true 
riches.  10:35. 

There  is 'any  amount  of  property,  and  gold  and  silver 
in  the  earth  and  on  the  earth,  and  the  Lord  gives  to  this 
one  and  that  one — the  wicked  as  well  as  the  righteous — to 
see  what  they  will  do  with  it,  but  it  all  belongs  to  him.  He 
has  handed  over  a  goodly  portion  to  this  people,  and, 
through  our  faith,  patience  and  industry,  we  have  made 
us  good,  comfortable  homes  here,  and  there  are  many  who 
are  tolerably  well  off,  and  if  they  were  in  many  parts  of 
the  world  they  would  be  called  wealthy.  But  it  is  not  ours, 
and  all  we  have. to  do  is  to  try  and  find  out  what  the  Lord 
wants  us  to  do  with  what  we  have  in  our  possession,  and 
then  go  and  do  it.  If  we  step  beyond  this,  or  to  the  right  or 
to  the  left,  we  step  into  an  illegitimate  train  of  business. 
Our  legitimate  business  is  to  do  what  the  Lord  wants  us 
to  do  with  that  which  he  bestows  upon  us,  and  dispose  of 


WEALTH  40y 

it  just  as  he  dictates,  whether  it  is  to  give  all,  one-tenth,  or 
the  surplus.  16:10. 

No  person  on  the  earth  can  truly  call  anything  his  own, 
and  never  will  until  he  has  passed  the  ordeals  we  are  all 
now  passing,  and  has  received  his  body  again  in  a  glorious 
resurrection,  to  be  crowned  by  him  who  will  be  ordained 
and  set  apart  to  set  a  crown  upon  our  heads.  Then  will  be 
given  to  us  that  which  we  now  only  seem  to  own,  and  we 
will  be  forever  one  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  not 
until  then.  9:106. 

The  elements  are  to  be  brought  into  shape  and  operation 
for  the  benefit,  happiness,  beauty,  excellency,  glory,  and 
exaltation  of  the  children  of  men  that  dwell  upon  the  earth. 
9:242. 

Uncertainty  of  Temporal  Possessions — Do  you  not  know 
that  the  possession  of  your  property  is  like  a  shadow,  or  the 
dew  of  the  morning  before  the  noonday  sun,  that  you  can- 
not have  any  assurance  of  its  control  for  a  single  moment! 
It  is  the  unseen  hand  of  Providence  that  controls  it.  1-114. 

We  cannot  trust  to  the  certainty  of  mortal  possessions  ; 
they  are  transitory,  and  a  dependence  upon  them  will 
plunge  into  hopeless  disappointment  all  those  who  trust  in 
them.  2:122. 

We  should  find  that  the  things  of  this  world  called 
riches,  are  in  reality  not  riches.  W'e  should  find  they  are 
like  mirages  to  the  ignorant,  mere  phenomena  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  earth ;  to-day  they  are,  to-morrow  they  are  not ; 
they  were,  but  now  they  are  gone,  it  is  not  known  where. 
The  earthly  king  upon  his  throne,  who  reigns  triumphantly 
over  his  subjects,  is  blasted,  with  all  hi$  kingdom,  and 
brought  to  naught  at  one  breath  of  him  who  possesses  true 
riches.  Let  him  who  possesses  the  true  riches  say  to  the 


470  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

elements  around  that  kingdom,  "produce  no  wheat,  nor  oil, 
nor  wine,  but  let  there  be  a  famine  upon  that  people,"  in 
such  a  circumstance  where  is  the  wealth  of  that  king,  his 
power,  his  grandeur,  and  his  crown  ?  There  is  no  bread,  no 
oil,  there  are  no  flocks,  no  herds,  for  they  have  perished 
upon  the  plains,  his  wheat  is  blasted,  and  all  his  crops  are 
mildewed.  What  good  does  his  wealth  do  him?  His  sub- 
jects are  lying  all  around  him  lifeless  for  want  of  bread ;  he 
may  cry  to  them,  but  m  vain;  his  wealth,  power,  and  in- 
fluence have  vanished,  they  are  swept  away  like  the  flimsy 
fabric  of  a  cobweb.  1  '266. 

The  Sin  of  Covetousness — How  the  Devil  will  play  with 
a  man  who  so  worships  gain!  10.174. 

I  am  more  afraid  of  covetousness  in  our  Elders  than  I 
am  of  the  hordes  of  hell  5  353, 

Those  who  are  covetous  and  greedy,  anxious  to  grasp 
the  whole  world,  are  all  the  time  uneasy,  and  are  constantly 
laying  their  plans  and  contriving  how  to  obtain  this,  that, 
and  the  other  3,119. 

Men  are  greedy  for  the  vain  things  of  this  world.  In 
their  hearts  they  are  covetous.  It  is  true  that  the  things 
of  this  world  are  designed  to  make  us  comfortable,  and  they 
make  some  people  as  happy  as  they  can  be  here ;  but  riches 
can  never  make  the  Latter-day  Saints  happy.  Riches  of 
themselves  cannot  produce  permanent  happiness;  only  the 
Spirit  that  comes  from  above  can  do  that  7*135. 

When  I  cast  my  eyes  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
and  see  the  weakness,  and  I  may  say,  the  height  of  folly  in 
the  hearts  of  the  kings,  rulers,  and  the  great,  and  those  who 
should  be  wise  and  good  and  noble,  when  I  see  them 
grovelling  in  the  dust ;  longing,  craving,  desiring,  contend- 
ing for  the  things  of  this  life,  I  think,  0  foolish  men,  to  set 


WEALTH 


471 


your  hearts  on  the  things  of  this  life !  To-day  they  are  seek- 
ing after  the  honors  and  glories  of  the  world,  and  by  the 
time  the  sun  is  hidden  by  the  western  mountains  the  breath 
is  gone  out  of  their  nostrils,  they  sink  to  their  mother  earth 
Where  are  their  riches  then?  Gone  forever.  As  Job  says, 
"Naked  I  came  into  the  world/'  Destitute  and  forlorn,  they 
have  to  travel  a  path  that  is  untried  and  unknown  to  them, 
and  wend  their  way  into  the  spirit  world  They  know  not 
where  they  are  going1  nor  for  what.  The  designs  of  the 
Creator  are  hidden  from  their  eyes,  darkness,  ignorance, 
mourning  and  groaning  take  hold  of  them  and  they  pass 
into  eternity.  And  this  is  the  end  of  them  concerning  this 
life  as  far  as  they  know  A  man  or  a  woman,  who  places 
the  wealth  of  this  world  and  the  things  of  time  in  the  scales 
against  the  things  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  eternity,  has 
no  eyes  to  see,  no  ears  to  hear,  no  heart  to  understand, 
What  are  riches  for?  For  blessings,  to  do  good  Then  let 
us  dispense  that  which  the  Lord  gives  us  to  the  best  pos- 
sible use  for  the  building  up  of  his  Kingdom,  for  the  pro- 
-motion  of  the  truth  on  the  earth,  that  we  may  see  and  en- 
joy the  blessings  of  the  Zion  of  God  here  upon  this  earth 
I  look  around  among  the  world  of  mankind  and  see  them 
grabbing,  scrambling,  contending,  and  every  one  seeking 
to  aggrandize  himself,  and  to  accomplish  his  own  individ- 
ual purposes,  passing  the  community  by,  walking  upon  the 
heads  of  his  neighbors— all  are  seeking,  planning,  contriv- 
ing in  their  wakeful  hours,  and  when  asleep  dreaming1, 
"How  can  I  get  the  advantage  of  my  neighbor?  How  can 
I  spoil  him,  that  I  may  ascend  the  ladder  of  fame?"  This 
is  entirely  a  mistaken  idea,  You  see  that  nobleman  seeking 
the  benefit  of  all  around  him,  trying  to  bring,  we  will  say, 
his  servants,  if  you  please,  his  tenants,  to  his  knowledge,  to 


472  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

like  blessings  that  he  etijoys,  to  dispense  his  wisdom  and 
talent  among"  them  and  to  make  them  equal  with  himself. 
As  they  ascend  and  increase,  so  does  he,  and  he  is  in  the 
advance.  All  eyes  are  upon  that  king  or  that  nobleman, 
and  the  feelings  of  those  around  him  are,  "God  bless  him ! 
How  I  love  him!  How  I  delight  in  him!  He  seeks  to 
bless  and  to  fill  me  with  joy,  to  crown  my  labors  with  suc- 
cess, to  give  me  comfort,  that  I  may  enjoy  the  world  as 
well  as  himself."  But  the  man  who  seeks  honor  and  glory 
at  the  expense  of  his  fellow-men  is  not  worthy  of  the  society 
of  the  intelligent.  15 :18. 

I  hope  to  see  the  day  when  there  will  be  no  such  thing 
as  one  man  taking  usury  from  another.  13  -92. 

True  Riches— There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  man  being 
truly  rich  until  he  has  power  over  death,  hell,  the  grave, 
and  him  that  hath  the  power  of  death,  which  is  the  Devil. 
For  what  are  the  riches,  the  wealth  possessed  by  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth?  Why,  they  are  a  phantom,  a  mere 
shadow,  a  bubble  on  the  wave,  that  bursts  with  the  least 
breath  of  air.  Suppose  I  possessed  millions  on  millions  of 
wealth  of  every  description  I  could  think  of  or  ask  for,  and 
I  took  a  sudden  pain  in  my  head,  which  threw  me  entirely 
out  of  my  mind,  and  baffled  the  skill  of  the  most  eminent 
physicians,  what  good  would  that  money  do  me,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  power  to  say  to  that  pain,  "Depart" ?  But  sup- 
pose I  possessed  power  to  say  to  the  pain,  "Go  thou  to  the 
land  from  whence  thou  comest;"  and  say,  "Come,  health, 
and  give  strength  to  my  body ;"  and  when  I  want  death,  to 
say,  "Come  you,  for  I  have  claim  upon  you,  a  right,  a  war- 
ranty deed,  for  this  body  must  be  dissolved  •"  says  death,  "I 
want  it,  to  prey  upon;"  but  again  I  can  say  to  death,  "De- 
part from  me,  thou  canst  not  touch  me;"  would  I  not  be 


WEALTH  473 

rich  indeed?  How  is  it  now?  Let  the  slightest  accident 
come  upon  one  of  the  human  family,  and  they  are  no  more. 
Do  we  then  possess  true  riches  in  this  state?  We  do  not. 
1:271. 

To  possess  this  world's  goods  is  not  in  reality  wealth, 
it  is  not  riches,  it  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  that  which 
is  common  to  all  men,  to  the  just  and  the  unjust,  to  the 
Saint  and  to  the  sinner.  The  sun  rises  upon  the  evil  and 
the  good;  the  Lord  sends  his  rain  upon  the  just  and  upon 
the  unjust;  this  is  manifest  before  our  eyes,  and  in  our 
daily  experience.  Old  King  Solomon,  the  wise  man,  says, 
the  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong, 
neither  riches  to  men  of  wisdom.  The  truth  of  this  saying 
comes  within  our  daily  observation.  Those  whom  we  con- 
sider swift  are  'not  always  the  ones  that  gain  the  mastery 
in  the  race,  but  those  who  are  considered  not  so  fleet,  or 
not  fleet  at  all,  often  gain  the  prize.  It  is,  I  may  say,  the 
unseen  hand  of  Providence,  that  over-ruling  power  that  con- 
trols the  destinies  of  men  and  nations,  that  so  ordains  these 
things.  The  weak,  trembling,  and  feeble,  are  the  ones  fre- 
quently who  gain  the  battle ;  and  the  ignorant,  foolish,  and 
unwise  will  blunder  into  wealth.  This  is  all  before  us,  it 
is  the  common  lot  of  man;  in  short,  I  may  say,  it  is  the 
philosophical  providence  of  a  philosophical  world.  1 :267. 

Gold  is  Not  Wealth— What  use  is  gold  when  you  get 
enough  to  eat,  drink,  and  wear  without  it?  1 :250. 

There  is  no  happiness  in  gold,  not  the  least.  It  is  very 
convenient  as  an  article  of  exchange,  in  purchasing  what 
we' need;  and  instead  of  finding  comfort  and  happiness  in 
gold,  you  exchange  it  to  obtain  happiness,  or  that  which 
may  conduce  to  it.  There  is  no  real  wealth  in  gold.  People 
talk  about  being  wealthy — about  being  rich ;  but  place  the 


474  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

richest  banking  company  in  the  world  upon  a  barren  rock, 
with  their  gold  piled  around  them,  with  no  possible  chance 
of  exchanging  it,  and  destitute  of  the  creature  comforts, 
and  they  would-be  poor  indeed.  Where  then  is  their  joy, 
their  comfort,  their  great  wealth ?  They  have  none  8 :168 

True  wealth  consists  in  the  skill  to  produce  conveni- 
ences and  comforts  from  the  elements.  All  the  power 
and  dignity  that  wealth  can  bestow  is  a  mere  shadow,  the 
substance  is  found  in  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  toiling 
millions  Well  directed  labor  is  the  true  power  that  sup- 
plies our  wants.  It  gives  regal  giandeur  to  potentates, 
education  and  supplies  to  religious  and  political  ministers, 
and  supplies  the  wants  of  the  thousands  of  millions  of 
earth's  sons  and  daughters.  There  are  conditions  and 
panics  in  society  that  all  the  power  of  earthly  wealth  can- 
not avert.  10  189. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  wealth  gives  power.  In  a 
depraved  state  of  society,  in  a  certain  sense  it  does,  if  open- 
ing a  wide  field  for  unrighteous  monopolies,  by  which  the 
poor  are  robbed  and  oppressed  and  the  wealthy  are  more 
enriched,  is  power  In  a  depraved  state  of  society  money 
can  buy  positions  and  titles,  can  cover  up  a  multitude  of 
incapabilities,  can  open  wide  the  gates  of  fashionable  society 
to  the  lowest  and  most  depraved  of  human  beings,  it  di- 
vides society  into  castes  without  any  reference  to  goodness, 
virtue  or  truth  It  is  made  to  pander  to  the  most  brutal 
passions  of  the  human  soul;  it  is  made  to  subvert  every 
wholesome  law  of  God  and  man,  and  to  trample  down  every 
sacred  bond  that  should  tie  society  together  in  a  national, 
municipal,  domestic  and  every  other  relationship.  Wealth 
thus  used  is  used  out  of  its  legitimate  channel.  10:3 

How  to  Become  Wealthy— When  men  act  upon  the 


WEALTH  475 

principles  which  will  secure  to  them  eternal  salvation,  they 
are  sure  of  obtaining  all  their  hearts'  desire,  sooner  or  later ; 
if  it  does  not  come  today,  it  may  come  tomorrow ;  if  it  does 
not  come  in  this  time,  it  will  in  the  next.  2 :122. 

I  am  not  for  hoarding  up  gold  and  other  property  to  lie 
useless,  I  wish  to  put  everything  to  a  good  use.  I  never 
keep  a  dollar  lying  idly  by  me,  for  I  wish  all  the  means  to 
be  put  into  active  operation.  3 :160. 

I  can  witness  one  fact,  and  so  can  others,  that  by  paying 
attention  to  the  building  up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  alone 
we  have  got  rich  in  the  things  of  this  world;  and  if  any 
man  can  tell  how  we  can  get  rich  in  any  other  way,  he  can 
do  more  than  I  can.  We  leave  our  business  and  our  fam- 
ilies and  go  out  to  preach  the  peaceable  things  of  the  King- 
dom, and  pay  attention  to  that,  never  thinking  of  our  busi- 
ness or  our  families,  except  when  we  ask  the  Lord  to  bless 
our  families  in  common  with  all  the  families  of  the  Saints 
everywhere.  11:116. 

Do  you  want  wealth?  If  you  do,  do  not  be  in  a  hurry. 
Do  you  want  the  riches  pertaining  to  this  world?  Yes,  we 
acknowledge  we  do.  Then,  be  calm,  contented,  composed  ; 
keep  your  pulses  correct,  do  not  let  them  get  up  to  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty,  but  keep  them  as  high  as  you  can,  rang- 
ing from  seventy  to  seventy-six;  and  when  there  is  an 
appointment  for  a  meeting  be  sure  to  attend  that  meeting. 
If  there  is  to  be  a  two-days'  meeting,  come  to  it;  spend 
the  time  here  and  learn  what  is  going  on.  Watch  closely, 
hear  every  word  that  is  jspoken,  let  every  heart  be  lifted 
to  God  for  wisdom,  and  know  and  understand  every  word 
of  prophecy,  every  revelation  that  may  be  given,  every 
counsel  that  may  be  presented  to  the  people,  that  you  may 
be  able  to  weigh,  measure,  comprehend  and  decide  between 


476  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUBTG 

that  which  is  of  God  and  that  which  is  not  of  God  Refuse 
the  evil,  learn  wisdom,  and  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  truth  15 :3S. 

The  course  pursued  by  men  of  business  in  the  world  has 
a  tendency  to  make  a  few  rich,  and  to  sink  the  masses  of 
the  people  in  poverty  and  degradation.  11  348. 

This  is  the  counsel  I  have  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  to- 
day Stop,  do  not  be  m  a  hurry.  I  do  not  know  that  I 
could  find  a  man  in  our  community  but  what  wishes  wealth, 
would  like  to  have  everything  in  his  possession  that  would 
conduce  to  his  comfort  and  convenience.  Do  you  know 
how  to  get  it?  "Well,"  replies  one,  "if  I  do  not,  I  wish  I 
did;  but  I  do  not  seem  to  be  exactly  fortunate — fortune  is 
somewhat  against  me."  I  will  tell  you  ,the  reason  of  this—- 
you are  m  too  much  of  a  hurry ;  you  do  not  go  to  meeting 
enough,  you  do  not  pray  enough,  you  do  not  read  the  Scrip- 
tures enough,  you  do  not  meditate  enough,  you  are  all  the 
time  on  the  wing,  and  m  such  a  hurry  that  you  do  not  know 
what  to  do  first  This  is  not  the  way  to  get  rich.  I  merely 
use  the  term  "rich"  to  lead  the  mind  along,  until  we  obtain 
eternal  riches  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God.  Here  we 
wish  for  riches  m  a  comparative  sense,  we  wish  for  the 
comforts  of  life.  If  we  desire  them  let  us  take  a  course  to 
get  them.  Let  me  reduce  this  to  a  simple  saying — one  of 
the  most  simple  and  homely  that  can  be  used— "Keep  your 
dish  right  side  up,"  so  that  when  the  shower  of  porridge 
does  come,  you  can  catch  your  dish  full.  15  36. 

These  are  a  few  words  of  consolation  to  the  brethren 
who  wish  to  keep  their  riches,  and  with  them  I  promise 
you  leanness  of  soul,  darkness  of  mind,  narrow  and  con- 
tracted hearts,  and  the  bowels  of  your  compassion  will  be 
shut  up,  and  by  and  by  you  will  be  overcome  with  the  spirit 


WEALTH  477 

of  apostasy  and  forsake  your  God  and  your  brethren.  12:127. 

My  policy  is  to  get  rich;  I  am  a  miser  in  eternal  things, 
Do  I  want  to  become  rich  in  the  things  of  this  earth?  Yes, 
if  the  Lord  wishes  me  to  have  such  riches,  and  I  can  use 
them  to  good  advantage.  My  policy  is  to  keep  every  man, 
woman,  and  child  busily  employed,  that  they  may  have  no 
idle  time  for  hatching  mischief  in  the  night,  and  for  mak- 
ing plans  to  accomplish  their  own  ruin.  2 :144. 

I  told  you  the  other  day  what  makes  me  rich,  it  is  the 
labor  of  those  whom  I  feed  and  clothe ;  still  I  do  not  feel 
that  I  have  a  dollar  in  the  world  that  is  my  own,  it  is  the 
Lord's  and  he  has  made  me  a  steward  over  it ;  and  if  I  can 
know  where  the  Lord  is  pleased  to  have  it  appropriated, 
there  it  shall  go.  3':118. 

One-third  or  one-fourth  of  the  time  that  is  spent  to  pro- 
cure a  living  would  be  sufficient,  if  your  labor  were  rightly 
directed.  People  think  they  are  going  to  get  rich  by  hard 
work — by  working  sixteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four, 
but  it  is  not  so  A  great  many  of  our  brethren  can  hardly 
spend  time  to  go  to  meeting.  Six  days  is  more  time  than 
we  need  to  labor.  8 :355. 

The  great  majority  of  men  and  women  do  not  know  how 
to  take  care  of  themselves.  Let  me  refer  the  whole  of  you 
to  a  circumstance  in  Winter  Quarters.  We  left  Nauvoo  in 
February,  1846,  made  our  own  roads  through  Iowa,  except 
some  40  or  50  miles,  built  bridges,  cut  down  timber,  turned 
out  500  men  to  go  to  Mexico,  came  this  side  of  the  Missouri 
river,  and  there  wintered.  How  did  you  live  there?  Do 
you  know  how  you  got  anything  to  eat?  Brethren  came 
to  me,  saying,  "We  must  go  to  Missouri.  Can  we  not  take 
our  families  and  go  to  Missouri  and  get  work?"  Do  you 
know,  to  this  day,  how  you  lived?  I  will  tell  you,  and  then 


478  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

you  will  remember  it.  I  had  not  five  dollars  in  money  to 
stait  with,  but  I  went  to  work  and  built  a  mill,  which  I 
knew  we  should  want  only  for  a  few  months,  that  cost 
3,600  dollars  I  gave  notice  that  I  would  employ  every  man 
and  pay  him  for  his  labor.  If  I  had  a  sixpence,  I  turned  it 
into  25  cents;  and  a  half-bushel  of  potatoes  I  turned  into 
half-a-bushel  of  wheat  How  did  I  do  that?  By  faith  I 
went  to  Brother  Neff,  who  had  just  come  in  the  place,  and 
asked  him  for  and  received  2,600  dollars,  though  he  did  not 
know  where  the  money  was  going  He  kept  the  mill 
another  year,  and  it  died  on  his  hands  I  say,  God  bless 
him  forever!  for  it  was  the  money  he  brought  from  Penn- 
sylvania that  preserved  thousands  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren from  staiving.  I  handled  and  dictated  it,  and  every- 
thing went  off  smoothly  and  prosperously.  6 :173. 

Shall  I  give  you  my  ideas  in  brief  with  regard  to  business 
and  business  transactions?  Here  for  instance,  a  merchant 
comes  to  our  neighborhood  with  a  stock  of  goods;  he  sells 
them  at  from  two  to  ten  hundred  per  cent,  above  what 
they  cost.  As  a  matter  of  course  he  soon  becomes  wealthy, 
and  after  a  time  he  will  be  called  a  millionaire,  when  per- 
haps he  was  not  worth  a  dollar  when  he  commenced  to 
trade.  You  will  hear  many  say  of  such  person,  what  a 
nice  man  he  is,  and  what  a  great  financier  he  is!  My 
feeling  of  such  a  man  is,  he  is  a  great  cheat,  a  deceiver,  a 
liar  I  He  imposes  on  the  people,  he  takes  that  which  does 
not  belong  to  him,  and  is  a  living  monument  of  falsehood 
Such  a  man  is  not  a  financier!  The  financier  is  he  that 
brings  the  lumber  from  the  canyons  and  shapes  it  for  the 
use  of  his  fellowman,  employing  mechanics  and  laborers  to 
produce  from  the  elements  and  the  crude  material  every- 
thing necessary  for  the  sustenance  and  comfort  of  man, 


WEALTH  479 

one  who  builds  tanneries  to  work  up  the  hides  instead  of 
letting  them  rot  and  waste  or  be  sent  out  of  the  country  to 
be  made  into  leather  and  then  brought  back  in  the  shape  of 
boots  and  shoes;  and  that  can  take  the  wool,  the  furs  and 
straw  and  convert  the  same  into  cloth,  into  hats  and  bon- 
nets, and  that  will  plant  out  mulberry  trees  and  raise  the 
silk,  and  thus  give  employment  to  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, as  you  have  commenced  to  do  here,  bringing  the 
elements  into  successful  use  for  the  benefit  of  man,  and 
reclaiming  a  barren  wilderness,  converting  it  into  a  fruit- 
ful field,  making  it  to  blossom  as  the  rose;  such  a  man  I 
would  call  a  financier,  a  benefactor  of  his  fellow  man.  But 
the  great  majority  of  men  who  have  amassed  great  wealth 
have  done  it  at  the  expense  of  their  fellows,  19 :97. 

Wealth  Must  Be  Used — Few  men  know  what  to  do  with 
riches  when  they  possess  them.  1 :250. 

You  know  very  well  that  it  is  against  my  doctrine  and 
feelings  for  men  to  scrape  together  the  wealth  of  the  world 
and  let  it  waste  and  do  no  good.  9:186. 

Then  do  not  hoard  up  your  gold;  if  you  do,  it  will 
canker,  but  put  out  every  dollar  to  usury.  Instead  of  your 
souls  being  bound  up  in  your  cattle  and  other  property,  put 
it  all  where  it  should  be  placed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  on  earth  and  for  his  glory.  9:191. 

A  man  has  no  right  with  property,  which,  according  to 
the  laws  of  the  land,  legally  belongs  to  him,  if  he  does  not 
want  to  use  it;  he  o'ught  to  possess  no  more  than  he  can 
put  to  usury,  and  cause  to  do  good  to  himself  and  his 
fellowman.  When  will  a  man  accumulate  money  enough 
to  justify  him  in  salting  it  down,  or,  in  other  words,  laying 
it  away  in  the  chest,  to  lock  it  up,  there  to  lie,  doing  no 
manner  of  good  either  to  himself  or  his  neighbor.  It  is 


480  DISCOURSES  or  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

impossible  for  a  man  ever  to  do  it  No  man  should  keep 
money  or  property  by  him  that  he  cannot  put  to  usury  for 
the  advancement  of  that  property  in  value  or  amount,  and 
for  the  good  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  if  he 
does,  it  becomes  a  dead  weight  upon  him.  Every  man  who 
has  got  cattle,  money,  or  wealth  of  any  description,  bone 
and  sinew,  should  put  it  out  to  usury,  If  a  man  has  the 
arm,  body,  head,  the  component  parts  of  a  system  to  con- 
stitute him  a  laboring  man,  and  has  nothing  in  the  world  to 
depend  upon  but  his  hands,  let  him  put  them  to  usury 
Never  hide  up  anything  in  a  napkin,  but  put  it  forth  to 
bring  an  increase.  If  you  have  got  property  of  any  kind, 
that  you  do  not  know  what  to  do  with,  lay  it  out  in  making 
a  farm,  or  building  a  saw  mill  or  a  woolen;  factory,  and  go 
to  with  your  mights  to  put  all  your  property  to  usury 

If  you  have  more  ox-en  and  other  cattle  than  you  need; 
put  them  in  the  hands  of  other  men,  and  receive  their  labor 
in  return,  and  put  that  labor  where  it  will  increase  your 
property  value,  1  252 

If  a  man  comes  in  the  midst  of  this  people  with  money, 
let  him  use  it  in  beautifying  his  inheritance  in  Zion,  and  in 
increasing  his  capital  by  thus  putting  out  his  money  to 
usury.  Let  him  go  and  make  a  great  farm,  and  stock  it 
well,  and  fortify  all  around  with  a  good  and  efficient  fence 
What  for?  Why  for  the  purpose  of  spending  his  money 
Then  let  him  cut  it  up  into  fields,  and  adorn  it  with  trees, 
and  build  a  fine  house  upoh  it  What  for?  Why  for  the 
purpose  of  spending  his  money  What  will  he  do  when 
his  money  is  gone?  The  money  thus  spent,  with  a  wise 
and  prudent  hand,  is  in  a  situation  to  accumulate  and  in- 
crease a  hundred-fold  When  he  has  done  making  his  farm, 
and  his  means  still  increase  by  his  diligent  use  of  it,  he  can 


WEALTH  481 

then  commence  and  build  a  woolen  factory  for  instance, 
he  can  send  and  buy  the  sheep  and  have  them  brought  here, 
and  have  them  herded  here,  and  shear  them  here,  and  take 
care  of  them,  then  set  the  boys  and  girls  to  cleaning,  card- 
ing, spinning,  and  weaving  the  wool  into  cloth,  and  thus 
employ  hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  brethren  and  sisters 
who  have  come  from  the  manufacturing  districts  of  the  old 
country,  and  have  not  been  accustomed  to  dig  in  the  earth 
for  their  livelihood,  who  have  not  learned  anything  else  but 
to  work  in  the  factory.  This  would  feed  them  and  clothe 
them,  and  put  within  their  reach  the  comforts  of  life;  it 
would  also  create  at  home  a  steady  market  for  the  produce 
of  the  agriculturist,  and  the  labor  of  the  mechanic.  1 :253. 

Wealth  Brings  Happiness  Only  When  Used  for  the 
Gospel — All  the  real  business  we  have  on  hand  is  to  pro- 
mote our  religion.  4:355. 

If  you  come  naked  and  barefooted  (I  would  not  care  if 
you  had  naught  but  a  deer  skin  around  you  when  you 
Arrive  here),  and  bring  your  God  and  your  religion,  you  are 
a  thousand  times  better  than  if  you  come  with  wagon  loads 
of  silver  and  gold  and  left  your  God  behind  4:204. 

If,  by  industrious  habits  and  honorable  dealings,  you 
obtain  thousands  or  millions,  little  or  much,  it  is  your  duty 
to  use  all  that  is  put  in  your  possession,  as  judiciously  as 
you  have  knowledge,  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  on 
the  earth.  4:29. 

If  we  are  destroyed  through  the  possession  of  wealth, 
it  will  be  because  we  destroy  ourselves.  If  we  possessed 
hundreds  of  millions  of  coin,  and  devoted  that  means  to 
building  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  doing  good  to  his 
creatures,  with  an  eye  single  to  his  glory,  we  would  be  as 
much  blessed  and, as  much  entitled  to  salvation  as  the  poor 


482  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

beggar  that  begs  from  door  to  door,  the  faithful  rich  man 
is  as  much  entitled  to  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ  as  is 
the  faithful  poor  man  10  300 

We  must  watch  and  pray,  and  look  well  to  our  walk  and 
conversation,  and  live  near  to  our  God,  that  the  love  of  this 
world  may  not  choke  the  piecious  seed  of  tiuth,  and  feel 
teady,  if  necessary,  to  offer  up  all  things,  even  life  itself, 
for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven's  sake.  11.111. 

Look  out,  ye  men  of  Isi  ael,  and  be  careful  that  you  love 
not  the  world  or  the  things  of  the  world  in  their  present 
state,  and  in  your  loftiness  and  pride,  forget  the  Lord  your 
God.  We  ought  to  care  no  more  for  the  silver  and  the 
gold,  and  the  property  that  is  so  much  sought  for  by  the 
wicked  world,  than  for  the  soil  or  the  gravel  upon  which 
we  tread.  11 .18. 

I  do  not  care  what  becomes  of  the  things  of  this  world, 
of  the  gold,  of  the  silver,  of  the  houses  and  of  the  lands, 
so  we  have  power  to  gather  the  House  of  Israel,  redeem 
Zion,  and  establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth.  I 
would  not  give  a  cent  for  all  the  rest.  True,  these  things 
which  the  Lord  bestows  upon  us  are  for  our  comfort,  for 
our  happiness  and  convenience,  but  everything  must  be  de- 
voted to  the  upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the 
earth.  3:361. 

It  is  thought  by  many  that  the  possession  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver will  produce  for  them  happiness,  and,  hence,  thousands 
hunt  the  mountains  for  the  precious  metals;  in  this  they 
are  mistaken.  The  possession  of  wealth  alone  does  not 
produce  happiness,  although  it  will  produce  comfort,  when 
it  can  be  exchanged  for  the  essentials  and  luxuries  of  life 
When  wealth  is  obtained  by  purloining,  or  in  any  other 
unfair  and  dishonorable  way,  fear  of  detection  and 


WEALTH  483 

ment  robs  the  possessor  of  all  human  happiness.  When 
wealth  is  honorably  obtained  by  man,  still  the  possession  of 
it  is  embittered  by  the  thought  that  death  will  soon  strip 
them  of  it  and  others  will  possess  it  What  hopes  have  they 
in  the  future,  after  they  get  through  with  this  sorrowful 
world ?  They  know  nothing  about  the  future;  they  see 
nothing  but  death  and  hell.  Solid  comfort  and  unalloyed 
joy  are  unknown  to  them.  11  15. 

Men  and  women  who  are  trying  to  make  themselves 
happy  in  the  possession  of  wealth  or  power  will  miss  it, 
for  nothing  short  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  can  make 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  happy,  and  prepare  them  to 
enjoy  heaven  here  and  hereafter  11  '329 

It  matters  little,  though  we  have  many  times  left  our 
houses  and  other  possessions,  having  been  driven  from 
them  by  our  enemies;  for  the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the 
fulness  thereof;  the  gold  and  the  silver  they  are  taking 
from  the  earth  are  all  in  his  hands  to  dispose  of  at  his 
pleasure  He  sets  up  kingdoms  and  casts  them  down  at 
his  pleasure  The  fulness  of  the  earth  is  in  his  hands,  but 
it  cannot  be  enjoyed,  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term,  with- 
out enjoying  it  in  connection  with  his  Kingdom.  8 '161-2. 

Though  I  possessed  millions  of  money  and  property, 
that  does  not  excuse  me  from  performing  the  labor  that  it 
is  my  calling  to  perform,  so  far  as  I  have  strength  and  abil- 
ity, any  more  than  the  poorest  man  in  the  community  is 
excused.  The  more  we  are  blessed  with  means,  the  more 
we  are  blessed  with  responsibility ;  the  more  we  are  blessed 
with  wisdom  and  ability,  the  more  we  are  placed  under 
the  necessity  of  using  that  wisdom  and  ability  in  the  spread 
of  righteousness,  the  subjugation  of  sin  and  misery,  and  the 
amelioration  of  the  condition  of  mankind.  The  man  that 


484  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

has  only  one  talent  and  the  man  that  has  five  talents  have 
responsibility  accordingly  If  we  have  a  world  of  means, 
we  have  a  world  of  responsibility.  If  we  have  an  eternity 
of  knowledge,  we  shall  have  an  eternity  of  business  to 
transact  and  to  occupy  every  particle  of  the  knowledge 
bestowed  'upon  us  9  172. 

Some  Dangers  of  Wealth— The  question  will  not  arise 
with  the  Lord,  nor  with  the  messengers  of  the  Almighty, 
how  much  wealth  a  man  has  got,  but  how  has  he  come  by 
this  wealth  and  what  will  he  do  with  it?  11  '294 

If  the  Lord  ever  revealed  anything  to  me,  he  has  shown 
me  that  the  Elders  of  Israel  must  let  speculation  alone  and 
attend  to  the  duties  of  their  calling,  otherwise  they  will 
have  little  or  no  power  in  their  missions  or  upon  their 
return.  8  179 

The  Latter-day  Saints  who  turn  their  attention  to 
money-making  soon  become  cold  in  their  feelings  toward 
the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God.  They  neglect  their 
prayers,  become  unwilling  to  pay  any  donations,  the  law  of 
tithing  gets  too  great  a  task  for  them,  and  they  finally 
forsake  their  God,  and  the  providences  of  heaven  seem  tc 
be  shut  from  them— all  in  consequence  of  this  lust  after  the 
things  of  this  world,  which  will  certainly  perish  in  handling, 
and  in  their  use  they  will  fade  away  and  go  from  us.  18  213 

If  I  had  only  seen  in  my  young  days  an  interest  mani- 
fested by  those  who  had  wealth,  power  and  influence  to 
reach  down  a  hand  to  take  the  suffering,  ignorant  poor  and 
elevate  them  to  the  standard  they  occupied,  and  to  place 
them  m  possession  of  every  comfort,  it  would  have  been  a 
matter  of  great  joy  to  me.  But  it  was  not  so  then,  neither 
is  it  now.  Men  generally  use  their  wealth  for  selfish  pur- 


WEALTH  485 

poses,  and  do  not  seek  to  devote  it  to  God  and  to  the  glory 
of  his  name.  13 :147. 

Do  not  be  anxious  to  have  this  people  become  rich,  and 
possess  the  affection  of  the  world.  I  have  been  fearful  lest 
we  come  to  fellowship  the  world.  10:298. 

Some  say,  "If  we  had  a  gold  mine,  we  would  do  well." 
If  I  knew  where  there  was  a  gold  mine,  I  would  not  tell 
you.  I  do  not  want  you  to  find  one,  and  I  do  not  mean  that 
you  shall ;  or,  if  you  do,  it  shall  be  over  my  faith.  We  have 
gold  enough  in  the  world,  and  it  is  all  the  Lord's,  and  we 
do  not  deserve  more  than  we  get.  Let  us  make  good  use 
of  that,  and  send  out  the  Elders.  •  8 :204. 

I  would  as  soon  see  a  man  worshiping  a  little  god  made 
of  brass  or  of  wood  as  to  see  him  worship  his  property. 
6:196. 

Never  pray  for  riches;  do  not  entertain  such  a  foolish 
thought.  In  my  deep  poverty,  when  I  knew  not  where  I 
could  procure  the  next  morsel  of  food  for  myself  and  family, 
I  have  prayed  God  to  open  the  way  that  I  might  get  some- 
thing to  keep  myself  and  family  from  dying.  Those  who 
do  more  than  this  are  off,  more  or  less,  from  the  track  that 
leads  to  life  eternal.  7:138. 

We  are  the  greatest  speculators  in  the  world.  We  have 
the  greatest  speculation  on  hand  that  can  be  found  in  all 
the  earth,  I  never  denied  being  a  speculator.  I  never 
denied  being  a  miser,  or  of,  feeling  eager  for  riches ;  but 
some  men  will  chase  a  picayune  five  thousand  miles  when 
I  would  not  turn  round  for  it,  and  yet  we  are  preachers  of 
the  same  Gospel,  and  brethren  in  the  same  Kingdom  of 
God.  You  may  consider  this  is  a  little  strong;  but  the 
speculation  I  am  after,  is  to  exchange  this  world,  which, 
in  its  present  state,  passes  away,  for  a  world  that  is  eter- 


486  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

nal  and  unchangeable,  for  a  glorified  world  filled  with  eter- 
nal riches,  for  the  world  that  is  made  an  inheritance  for  the 
Gods  of  eternity.  1 :326 

The  Poor—The  poor  are  the  people  of  God,  and  they 
shall  inherit  the  earth.  8'1S6 

The  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  does  not  reduce  those 
who  obey  it  to  beggary;  but  it  takes  the  poor  and  the  igno- 
rant, makes  them  wise  and  happy,  and  surrounds  them  with 
the  comforts  of  life  and  everything  desirable,  and  teaches 
them  to  .serve  God  with  all  their  hearts  14-121 

If  a  man  comes  to  me  and  says  he  is  out  of  food,  what  of 
that  ?  He  is  out  of  food ;  that  is  all  If  a  man  comes  along 
and  says,  "My  family  is  destitute  of  food  and  clothing," 
what  of  that?  Simply  that  they  are  destitute  of  food  and 
clothing,  and  still  they  may  be  gentlemen  and  ladies,  for 
all  that,  and  be  honoring  their  tabernacles  and  being  on  the 
earth. 

The  customs  of  the  world  have  made  it  degrading  to  ask 
for  food,  but  it  is  not,  when  a  person  cannot  honestly  pro- 
cure it  in  any  other  way.  The  man  who  is  hungry  and 
destitute  has  as  good  a  right  to  my  food  as  any  other  per- 
son, and  I  should  feel  as  happy  in  associating  with  him,  if 
he  had  a  good  heart,  as  with  those  who  have  an  abundance, 
or  with  the  princes  of  the  earth  They  all  are  esteemed  by 
me,  not  according  to  the  wealth  and  position  they  hold,  but 
according  to  the  character  they  have.  3 :245. 

The  Lord's  poor  do  not  forget  their  covenants,  while 
the  Devil's  poor  pay  no  regard  to  their  promises.  3  *2. 

What  causes  poverty  among  this  people ?  It  is  the  want 
of  discretion,  calculation,  sound  judgment  I  am  paying 
men  more  or  less  by  the  day,  and  where  do  you  see  those 
who  get  the  least  wages7  Seated  back  in  the  barber's  chair 


WEALTH  487 

three  or  four  times  a  week.  Next  at  a  store  to  get  a  box 
of  blacking  to  put  upon  fifteen  dollar  boots,  if  they  can 
get  them.  They  must  have  four  or  five  dollar  handker- 
chiefs, as  fine  things  for  their  wives  and  children,  and  as 
much  in  quantity  as  any  other  man  has,  At  the  end  of  the 
year  there  are  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  on  the  debit 
side  of  their  accounts.  9  '297. 

Let  the  poor,  those  who  have  to  depend  upon  their 
brethren  for  bread,  after  they  have  done  all  they  can  to 
obtain  it  themselves  be  thankful,  and  take  no  more  than 
they  require  to  use  in  a  frugal  manner.  3 :375. 

The  poor  are  filled  with  idolatry  as  well  as  the  rich,  and 
covet  the  means  of  those  who  have  helped  them;  the  rich 
also  have  the  same  spirit  of  idolatry,  and  stick  to  what  they 
have.  Let  the  poor  be  honest,  let  the  rich  be  liberal,  and 
lay  their  plans  to  assist  the  poor,  to  build  up  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  enrich  themselves,  for  that 
is  the  way  to  build  up  God's  Kingdom.  3 :6. 

Poor  men,  or  poor  women,  who  have  nothing,  and  covet 
that  which  is  not  their  own,  are  just  as  wicked  in  their 
hearts,  as  the  miserly  man  who  hoards  up  his  gold  and 
silver,  and  will  not  put  it  out  to  use.  I  wish  the  poor  to 
understand,  and  act  as  they  'would  wish  others  to  act  to- 
wards them  in  like  circumstances.  2  :-52. 

If  the  poor  had  all  the  surplus  property  of  the  rich  many 
of  them  would  waste  it  on  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  destroy 
themselves  in  using  it.  For  this  reason  the  Lord  does  not 
require  the  rich  to  give  all  their  substance  to  the  poor.  It 
is  true  that  when  the  young  man  came  to  Jesus  to  know 
what  he  must  do  to  be  saved,  he  told  him,  finally,  "sell  all 
that  thou  hast  and  distribute  unto  the  poor,  and  thou  shalt 
have  treasure  in  heaven,  and  come,  follow  me ;"  and  a  great 


488  DISCOURSES  OF   BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

many  think  that  he  ,told  the  young  man  to  give  away  all 
that  he  had,  but  Jesus  did  not  require  any  such  thing, 
neither  did  he  say  so,  but  simply,  "distribute  to  the  poor." 
If  the  poor  knew  what  to  do  with  what  they  have  many, 
yea  very  many,  in  this  land  would  have  all  that  is  necessary 
to  make  them  comfortable.  13 :302 

If  they  had  the  privilege  of  dictating  the  affairs  of  this 
people,  or  of  any  other,  they  would  divide  the  substance  of 
the  rich  among  the  poor,  and  make  all  what  they  call  equal. 
But  the  question  would  arise  with  me  at  once,  how  long 
would  they  remain  equal?  Make  the  rich  and  the  poor  of 
this  community,  or  of  any  other,  equal  by  the  distribution 
of  their  earthly  substance,  and  how  long  would  it  be  before 
a  certain  portion  of  them  would  be  calling  upon  the  other 
portion,  for  something  with  which  to  sustain  themselves? 
The  cry  would  soon  be — "I  have  no  bread,  no  house,  no 
team,  no  farm ;  I  have  nothing."*  And  in  a  very  few  years, 
at  the  most,  large  properties  would  thus  pass  from  the 
hands  of  such  individuals,  and  would  be  distributed  among 
those  who  know  how  to  accumlate  wealth  and  to  preserve 
it  when  accumulated  12:56. 

It  is  a  disgrace  to  every  man  and  woman  that  has  sense 
enough  to  live,  not  to  take  care  of  their  own  relatives,  their 
own  poor,  and  plan  for  them  to  do  something  they  are  able 
to  do.  8:145. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 
MISSIONARY  WORK 

The  Gospel  to  be  Preached  to  all  Men— The  Gospel  must 
be  preached  to  the  world,  that  the  wicked  may  be  left  with- 
out excuse.  4:58. 

It  is  necessary  that  all  have  the  privilege  of  receiving 
or  rejecting  eternal  truth,  that  they  may  be  prepared  to  be 
saved,  or  be  prepared  to  be  damned.  -7:139. 

Our  .Father  in  Heaven,  Jesus,  our  Elder  Brother  and 
the  Savior  of  the  world,  and  the  whole  heavens,  are  calling 
upon  this  people  to  prepare  to  save  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
also  the  millions  who  have  slept  without  the  Gospel.  18:77. 

The  Lord  has  called  me  to  this  work,  and  I  feel  as 
though  I  (will  do  it.  We  will  send  the  Gospel  to  the  na- 
tions; and  when  one  nation  turns  us  away  we  will  go  to 
another  and  gather  up  the  honest  in  heart,  and  the  rest  we 
care  not  for  until  we  come  'on  Mount  Zion  as  saviors,  to 
attend  to  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  for  them. 
8:230-1. 

The  Lord  has  restored  the  Priesthood  in  our  day  for 
the  salvation  of  Israel.  Does  he  design  to  save  anybody 
else?  Yes;  he  will  save  the  House  of  Esau,  and  I  hope  to 
live  until  I  see  Mount  Zion  established,  and  saviors  come 
up  to  save  those  poor,  miserable  beings  who  are  continually 
persecuting  us — all  who  have  not  sinned  against  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Our  labor  is  to  save  ourselves,  to  save  the  House 
of  Israel,  to  save  the  House  of  Esau,  and  all  the  Gentile 
nations — every  one  that  can  be  saved.  7:281. 

This  Kingdom  or  work  is  proffered  to  the  whole  of  the 
human  family,  even  to  all  who  will  accept  it,  upon  the 
terms  of  strict  obedience  to  all  its  ordinances  and  require- 


490  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

ments,  and  to  its  organization  of  Prophets  and  Apostles, 
gifts  and  blessings  and  graces,  11 :249. 

There  are,  doubtless,  millions  of  just  as  honest  people 
among  the  several  religious  denominations  as  are  amongst 
the  professedly  Latter-day  Saints  But  they  have  not  the 
Gospel,  they  are  in  darkness  with  regard  to  the  plan  of 
salvation,  and  their  teachers  are  blind  guides,  totally  un- 
able to  give  the  people  the  living  word,  the  way  of  life.  If 
they  live  up  to  the  best  fight  and  knowledge  they  have  and 
can  get,  they  are  safe,  and  in  a  saved  condition.  What  is 
the  sm  of  the  ministry  and  people  of  the  present  Christian 
denominations ?  It  is  that  light  has  come  to  them  and  they 
reject  it.  The  condemnation  of  the  Jewish  nation  was  that 
light  had  come  into  the  world,  but  they  chose  darkness 
rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  were  evil;  so  says 
the  Savior  The  same  Gospel  that  Jesus  taught  to  those 
who  rejected  him  is  entrusted  to  us  to  preach  to  the  whole 
world  with  the  same  consequences  which  must  reach  them 
at  some  time,  in  some  condition.  17  262. 

I  shall  be  very  happy  when  I  can  know  that  the  people 
of  the  East  Indian  Archipelago,  and  the  people  on  every 
island  and  continent,  both  the  high  and  the  low,  the  igno- 
rant and  intelligent,  have  received  the  words  of  eternal  life, 
and  have  had  bestowed  upon  them  the  power  of  the  eternal 
Priesthood  of  the  Son  of  God,  by  which  they  may  become 
truly  civilized.  8  7. 

The  day  will  come  when  the  Gospel  will  be  presented  to 
the  kings  and  queens  and  great  ones  of  the  earth;  but  it 
will  be  presented  with  a  different  influence  from  that  with 
which  it  has  been  presented  to  the  poor,  but  it  will  be  the 
same  Gospel  We  shall  not  present  any  other  Gospel;  it 
is  the  same  from  everlasting  to  everlasting.  13  150. 


MISSIONARY  WORK  491 

The  Elders  have  also  preached  through  the  different 
nations  of  Europe  so  far  as  they  were  allowed  to  do  so  In 
some  countries  the  law  would  not  permit  them;  but  the 
Lord  will  yet  revolutionize  those  nations  until  the  door  will 
be  opened  and  the  Gospel  will  be  preached  to  all  12  -256 

Had  I  the  choice  whether  to  go  to  the  Saints  and 
gather  Saints,  or  to  go  where  'the  Gospel  was  preached  by 
the  ancient  Apostles  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  among  the 
children  of  the  people  who  have  formerly  had  the  Gospel 
preached  to  them,  I  would  engage  to  go  to  the  States  and 
gather  one  hundred  Saints  to  one  that  could  be  gathered 
from  among  the  children  of  those  who  heard  Peter,  Paul, 
and  others  of  the  ancient  Apostles  preach  the  Gospel.  4.306 

Though  the  people  in  the  States  are  daily  becoming 
more  hardened  against  the  truth,  yet  if  I  were  in  New  York 
this  day,  and  it  was  my  business  to  be  there,  I  would  not 
be  there  long  before  I  would  have  many  Elders  preaching 
through  different  parts  of  that  ctfy;  I  would  have  them 
preaching  in  the  English,  Danish,  French,  German,  and 
other  languages.  And  soon  would  have  Elders  dispersed 
all  over  the  State,  and  would  raise  up  new  friends  enough 
to  sustain  me,  that  is,  if  the  Lord  would  help  me,  and  if  he 
did  not,  I  would  leave  4 :37. 

Help  to  Save  Every  Person— What  is  Babylon?  It  is 
the  confused  world1  come  out  of  her,  then, -and  cease  to 
partake  of  her  sins,  for  if  you  do  not  you  will  be  partakers 
of  her  plagues.  12 :282, 

If  to  all  eternity  you  could  praise  God,  through  being 
the  means  of  saving  one  soul,  I  may  say  the  least  or  most 
inferior  intelligence  'upon  the  earth,  pertaining  to  the  hu- 
man family,— if  you  could  be  the  means  of  saving  one  such 


492  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

person,  how  great  would  be  your  joy  in  the  heavens !  Then 
let  us  save  many,  and  our  joy  will  be  great  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  souls  we  save.  Let  us  destroy  none  9  124 

A  true  servant  of  God  takes  more  pleasure  in  saving  the 
meanest  capacity  organized  in  human  form  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth  than  a  wicked  person  can  in  leading  hosts 
astray  Let  a  Prophet  of  God,  an  Apostle,  or  any  servant 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  have  the  privilege  of  bringing  the  very 
smallest  degree  of  organized  intelligence  up  higher  and 
higher  until  it  is  capable  of  receiving  the  intelligence  of 
angels,  and  it  will  give  more"  consolation  and  happiness 
than  to  lead  all  the  posterity  of  Adam  into  a  wrong  path 
8:59, 

We  had  better  gather  nine  that  are  unworthy  than  to 
neglect  the  tenth  if  he  is  worthy.  15 .18. 

We  gather  the  poorest  of  the  people,  the  unlearned,  and 
a  few  of  the  learned ;  but  generally,  we  gather  those  who 
are  poor,  who  wish  to  be  redeemed ;  who  feel  the  oppression 
the  high  and  the  proud  have  made  them  endure ;  they  have 
felt  a  wish  to  be  delivered,  and  consequently  their  ears 
were  open  to  receive  the  truth.  Take  those  who  are  in  the 
enjoyment  of  all  the  luxuries  of  this  life,  and  their  ears  are 
stopped  up ;  they  cannot  hear.  12  '256. 

And  when  you  are  called  to  preach  the  Gospel  on  foreign 
missions,  take  a  course  to  save  every  person  There  is  no 
man  or  woman  within  the  pale  of  saving  grace  but  that 
is  worth  saving.  There  is  no  intelligent  being,  except  those 
who  have  sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  that  is  worth, 
I  may  say,  all  the  life  of  an  Elder  to  save  in  the  Kingdom 
of  God.  9:124 

This  people  are  mostly  gathered  from  what  are  terme'd 
the  laboring  and  middle  classes.  We  have  not  gathered 


MISSIONARY  WORK  493 

into  this  Church  mea  that  are  by  the  world  esteemed  pro- 
found in  their  principles,  ideas,  and  judgment.  We  have 
none  in  this  Church  that  are  called  by  them  expert  states- 
men. How  frequently  it  is  cast  at  the  Elders,  when  they 
are  abroad  preaching,  that  Joseph  Smith,  the  founder  of 
their  Church  and  religion,  was  only  a  poor  illiterate  boy. 
That  used  to  be  advanced  as  one  of  the  strongest  arguments 
that  could  be  produced  against  the  doctrine  of  salvation,  by 
the  wise  and  learned  of  this  world,  though  it  is  no  argu- 
ment at  all.  The  Lord  should  have  revealed  himself  to 
some  of  the  learned  priests  or  talented  men  of  the  age,  say 
they,  who  could  have  done  some  good  and  borne  off  the 
Gospel  by  their  influence  and  learning,  and  not  to  a  poor, 
ignorant,  unlettered  youth.  Not  many  wise,  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble,  speaking  after  the  manner  of  men, 
are  called;  but  God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  wise,  the  weak  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty;  and  base  things 
of  the  world — things  which  are  despised  by  the  world,  hath 
God  in  his  wisdom  chosen ;  yea,  and  things  which  are  not, 
to  bring  to  naught  things  that  are,  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  his  presence.  6:70. 

It  is  the  House  of 'Israel  we  are  after,  and  we  care  not 
whether  they  come  from  the  east,  the  west,  the  north,  or 
the  south;  from  China,  Russia,  England,  California,  North 
or  South  America,  or  some  other  locality ;  and  it  is  the  very 
lad  on  whom  Father  Jacob  laid  his  hands,  that  will  save  the 
House  of  Israel.  The  Book  of  Mormon  came  to  Ephraim, 
for  Joseph  Smith  was  a  pure  Ephraimite.  2 :268. 

If  this  net  does  not  gather  the  good  and  the  bad  we 
should  have  no  idea  that  it  is  the  net  that  Jesus  spoke  about 
when  he  said  that  it  should  gather  of  all  kinds.  14:78. 


494  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

I  may  say  that  this  Gospel  is  to  spread  to  the  nations  of 
the  earth,  Israel  is  to  be  gathered,  Zion  redeemed,  and  the 
land  of  Joseph,  which  is  the  land  of  Zion,  is  to  be  in  the 
possession  of  the  Saints,  if  the  Lord  Almighty  lets  me  live ; 
and  if  I  go  behind  the  veil  somebody  else  must  see  to  it 
My  brethren  must  bear  it  off  shoulder  to  shoulder  3  *361 

Words  to  Departing  Missionaries— We  wish  the  breth- 
ren to  understand  the  facts  just  as  they  are;  that  is,  there 
is  neither  man  or  woman  in  this  Church  who  is  not  on  a 
mission.  That  mission  will  last  as  long  as  they  live,  and 
it  is  to  do  good,  to  promote  righteousness,  to  teach  the 
principles  of  truth,  and  to  prevail  upon  themselves  and 
everybody  around  them  to  live  those  principles  that  they 
may  obtain  eternal  life.  12:19. 

When  I  came  into  this  Church,  I  started  right  out  as  a 
missionary,  and  took  a  text,  and  began  to  travel  on  a  circuit 
Truth  is  my  text,  the  Gospel  of  salvation  my  subject,  and 
the  world  my  circuit.  9:137. 

We  do  not  wish  a  man  to  enter  on  a  mission,  unless  his 
soul  is  in  it  2  267. 

The  brethren  who  have  been  called  upon  foreign  mis- 
sions we  expect  to  respond  to  the  call  cheerfully.  4 '264. 

Go  forth  and  preach  the  Gospel,  gain  an  experience, 
learn  wisdom,  and  walk  humbly  before  your  God,  that  you 
may  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  to  guide  and  direct  you,  and 
teach  you  all  things  past,  present,  and  to  come  8  176. 

Go  trusting  in  God,  ,and  continue  to  trust  in  him,  and 
he  will  open  your  way  and  multiply  blessings  upon  you, 
and  your  souls  will  be  satisfied  with  his  goodness.  I  can- 
not promise  you  any  good  in  taking  an  unrighteous  course ; 
your  lives  must  be  examples  of  good  works,  8 .73. 

I  think  that  the  brethren  were  required  to  go  and  preach 


MISSIONARY  WORK  495 

"without  purse  and  scrip,"  and  that  is  what  I  am  now  try- 
ing to  get  them  to  do— to  go  "without  purse  and  scrip," 
and  not  beg  the  poor  Saints  to  death.  Let  us  support  the 
Elders,  instead  of  making  the  poor  do  it. ,  We  are  able  to 
send  these  men  out  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  they  may 
go  "without  purse  or  scrip."  8  169. 

I  wish  the  Elders  to  go  forth  as  I  have  taught  them  If 
you  have  a  clean  shirt  and  one  to  be  washed,  then  be  satis- 
fied. If  you  are  clothed  so  as  to  be  comfortable,  be  satis- 
fied, and  do  not  let  your  minds  reach  out  after  anything, 
only  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  gather  the  souls  of  men. 
That  is  all  the  business  you  have  upon  your  hands— it  is 
your  whole  mission;  and  trust  in  God  to  get  home — trust 
in  the  Lord'to  go  from  place  to  place,  and  the  way  will  be 
opened  for  you  8  185. 

Those  who  now  go  forth  upon  missions  will  feel  more 
of  the  power  of  God  than  they  ever  had,  and  will  speak  as 
men  having  authority,  asking  no  odds  of  the  wicked.  8.172. 

I  would  like  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  brethren, 
that  he  who  goes  forth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  trusting 
in  him  with  all  his  heart,  will  never  want  for  wisdom  to 
answer  any  question  that  is  asked  him,  or  to  give  any 
counsel  that  may  be  required  to  lead  the  people  in  the  way 
of  life  and  salvation,  and  he  will  never  be  confounded 
worlds  without  end.  Go  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  trust  in 
the  sname  of  thes  Lord,  lean  upon  the  Lord,  and  call  upon 
the  Lord  fervently  and  without  ceasing,  and  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  the  world.  You  will  see  plenty  of  the  world— it 
will  be  before  you  'all  the  time— but  if  you  live  so  as  to 
possess  the  Holy  Ghost  you  will  be  able  to  understand  more 
in  relation  to  it  in  one  day  than  you  could  in  a  dozen  days 
without  it,  and  you  will  at  once  see  the  difference  between 


496  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  wisdom  of  men  and  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  you  can 
weigh  things  in  the  balance  and  estimate  them  at  their  true 
worth.  12:34. 

If  the  Elders  cannot  go  with  clean  hands  and  pure 
hearts,  they  had  better  stay  here.  Do  not  go  thinking, 
when  you  arrive  at  the  Missouri  River,  at  the  Mississippi, 
at  the  Ohio,  or  at  the  Atlantic,  that  then  you  will  purify 
yourselves;  but  start  from  here  with  clean  hands  and  pure 
hearts,  and  be  pure  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the 
soles  of  your  feet;  then  live  so  every  hour.  Go  in  that 
manner,  and  in  that. manner  labor,  and  return  again  as 
clean  as  a  piece  of  pure  white  paper.  This  is  the  way  to 
go ;  and  if  you  do  not  do  that,  your  hearts  will  ache 

Will  you  be  liable  to  fall  into  temptation  and  be  over- 
taken by  sin  ?  Yes,  unless  you  live  so  as  to  have  the  revela- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  continually,  not  only  to  live  in  it  today 
or  while  you  are  preaching,  in  a  prayer  meeting,  or  in  a 
conference ;  and  when  you  are  out  of  these  meetings,  when 
you  are  guaided  more  particularly  by  the  Spirit,  say  that 
you  can  get  along  without  the  Holy  Ghost  You  must  have 
it  all  the  time— on  Sunday,  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  every 
day  through  the  week,  and  from  year  to  year,  from  the 
time  you  leave  home  until  you  return;  so  that  when  you 
come  back,  you  may  not  be  afraid  if  the  Lord  Almighty 
should  come  into  the  midst  of  the  Saints  and  reveal  all  the 
acts  and  doings  and  designs  of  your  hearts  in  your  missions ; 
but  be  found  clean  like  a  piece  of  white  paper.  That  is  the 
way  for  the  Elders  to  live  in  their  ministry  at  home  and 
abroad.  6  273-4. 

I  want  to  say  for  the  consolation  of  the  Elders  of  Israel 
and  those  who  go  forth  to  preside,  you  need  have  no  trouble 
with  regard  to  the  building  up  of  this  Kingdom,  only  do 


MISSIONARY   WORK  497 

your  duty  in  the  sphere  to  which  you  are  assigned.    14  79. 

Elders  who  go  forth  to  proclaim  the  Gospel,  unless  they 
do  something  to  clip  their  faith,  or  cause  them  to  apostatize 
from  their  religion,  so  jthat  they  are  left  in  the  dark,  are 
generally  on  the  increase  in  improvement,  grow  in  grace 
and  in  knowledge.  They  are  advancing  in  the  principles 
of  truth,  while  the  world  are  receding  from  the  truth  they 
once  had;  consequently,  it  appears  to  the  Elders,  and  to 
those  who  go  from  the  Saints  into  the  world,  that  it  is 
growing  wicked  faster  than  it  really  is,  and  the  Elders  do 
not  always  realize  that  their  advancement  m  truth  pro- 
duces much  of  the  appearance  of  the  great  distance  between 
them  and  the  world  3  -221-2. 

If  those  who  are  'going  to  preach  do  not  go  with  that 
faith  that  pertains  to  eternal  life,  and  that  spirit  that  is  like 
a  well  of  water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life,  their 
labors  will  be  vain  They  may  be  the  best  theoretical  theo- 
logians in  the  world — may  be  ,able  to  preach  a  Bible  and 
a  half  in  a  sermon,  to  read  history  without  a  book,  and 
understand  all  the  dealings  with  men  from  the  days  of 
Adam  till  now;  and,  without  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God 
to  guide  them,  they  will  not  be  able  to  accomplish  any- 
thing to  their  credit  towards  building  up  his  Kingdom. 
They  must  realize  that  success  in  preaching  the  Gospel 
springs  not  from  the  wisdom  of  this  world.  They  must  so 
live  as  to  enjoy  the  power  of  God.  8:70-71. 

Don't  carry  your  wives  or  your  children  in  your  hearts 
or  in  your  affections  with  you  one  rod.  Dedicate  them  to 
the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  and  leave  them  at  home ,  and  when 
you  are  in  England,  or  among  other  nations,  no  matter 
where,  when  you  pray  for  your  families,  pray  for  them  as 
being  m  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  do  not  bring  them 


498  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

close  to  you,  as  though  they  were  m  your  carpet-bag,  Pray 
for  them  where  they  are  You  must  ieel— if  they  live,  all 
right;  if  they  die,  all  right,  if  I  die,  all  right,  if  I  live,  all 
right,  for  we  are  the  Lord's,  and  we  shall  soon  meet  again 
6276. 

I  wish  to  say  to  you  that  are  left  here,  whose  husbands 
and  fathers  are  going  away  for  a  season — don't  cling  to 
them  one  particle,  but  let  them  go  as  cheerfully  as  you 
would  give  a  weary  traveler  a  cup  of  cold  water.  If  you 
live,  it  is  all  right,  and  if  you  fall  asleep  before  they  return, 
it  is  all  right  Don't  send  your  hearts  after  them  one  step, 
nor  suffer  your  spirits  to  cling  to  them  one  moment  Then 
you,  wives,  in  very  deed  will  be  blessed  and  be  helpmeets 
to  your  husbands.  6 .276 

Many  have  such  feelings,  that  they  are  greater  who  are 
m  the  world  preaching  the  Gospel  than  those  who  remain 
here.  It  is  a  grand  mistake.  6 '274. 

Look  over  the  history  of  the  Church  of  the  living  God  on 
the  earth  from  the  days  of  Adam  until  now,  and  I  will 
ensure  that  you  cannot  find  the  equal  to  the  excessive  labor 
of  the  Elders  of  Israel  m  our  day  m  spreading  the  Truth 
through  the  world  to  save  mankind  I  have  no  idea  that 
it  was  done  in  the  days  of  Enoch ,  for  the  human  family  had 
then  spread  over  the  earth  but  little,  and  the  Elders  did  not 
have  to  travel  scores  of  thousands  of  miles  without  purse 
or  scrip  among  the  wicked.  So  also  in  the  days  of  Noah  ; 
they  had  but  a  short  distance  to  travel  In  the  days  of  the 
Israelites,  of  the  Prophets,  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Apos- 
tles, what  was  their  labor  in  the  extent  of  its  field,  com- 
pared with  that  of  this  people?  Very  small.  You  may 
trace  the  couise  of  their  travel,  and  you  will  find  that  it 


MISSIONARY  WORK  49^ 

was  far  less  than  that  of  the  Elders  of  Israel  in  our  day. 
5:351. 

If  you  go  on  a  mission  to  preach  the  Gospel  with  light- 
ness and  frivolity  in  your  hearts,  looking  for  this  and  that, 
and  to  learn  what  is  in  the  world,  and  not  having  your 
minds  riveted — yes,  I  may  say  riveted — on  the  cross  of 
Christ,  you  will  go  and  return  in  vain.  Go  forth  weeping, 
bearing  precious  seed,  full  of  the  power  of  God,  and  full  of 
faith  to  heal  the  sick  even  by  the  touch  of  your  hand,  re- 
buking and  casting  out  foul  spirits,  and  causing  the  poor 
among  men  to  rejoice,  and  you  will  return  bringing  your 
sheaves  with  you.  Let  your  min4s  be  centered  on  your 
missions  and  labor  earnestly  to  bring  souls  to  Christ. 
12:33-34. 

Advice  to  Missionaries  in  the  Field — The  travels  and 
labors  of  the  Elders  about  to  go  on  missions  will  throw 
them  into  positions  which  will  cause  them  to  seek  unto 
the  Lord.  They  need  to  live  their  religion,  to  go  forth  with 
pure  hearts  and  clean  hands,  and  then  preach  the  Gospel  by 
the  power  of  God  sent  down  from  heaven.  They  should 
touch  not  and  taste  not  of  sin,  and  when  they  return  they 
should  come  pure  and  clean,  ready  to  meet  the  Saints  with 
open  countenances  8:178. 

When  you  reach  your  respective  fields  of  labor  in  the 
States,  in.  England,  or  elsewhere,  do  not  begin  to  pull  down 
your  predecessors  So  far  as  their  conduct  will  permit, 
speak  of  them  as  your  brethren,  and  as  men  who  have  done 
the  best  they  knew  how.  Testify  that  you  know  them  to 
be  good  men,  when  you  know  that  they  have  been  doing 
according  to  their  best  judgment  and  understanding;  and 
do  not  say  hard  words  about  your  predecessors  in  the  vine- 
yard. Not  one  who  does  this  will  gain  anything  by  it. 


500  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

Do  not  discourage,  deride,  or  bring  anything  against  any 
of  your  predecessors  to  lessen  the  character  of  any  one  who 
has  done  the  best  he  knew  how.  8 ,181. 

Gather  the  Saints,  but  do  not  flatter ,  invite,  but  do  not 
urge,  and  by  no  means  compel  any  one  8  72, 

If  you  have  a  happy  influence  with  your  brethren  and 
sisters,  preserve  it,  for  it  is  more  choice  than  fine  gold 
How  many  times  have  I  told  the  Elders,  "When  you  go 
on  missions,  be  careful  to  preserve  your  God-like  dignity 
and  integrity."  8  -346 

The  Elders  who  are  going  abroad  should  deal  out  kind- 
ness to  those  they  are  sent  to  watch  over,  and  your  smiles 
will  be  far  better  than  your  cursings  could  be.  8 .74. 

You  know  that  I  have  said  that,  if  it  were  now  my  call- 
ing to  go  and  preach  the  Gospel,  I  could  make  as  many 
converts  as  I  ever  did;  for  I  would  go  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  bitterly  prejudiced  would  have  to  labor  hard  to 
find  out  that  I  was  ^  "Mormon"  until  I  had  induced  them 
to  love  the  truth.  Then  they  would  say,  *klf  that  is  'Mar- 
monism'  I  want  it."  5  5. 

I  wish  the  Elders  of  Israel  to  understand  mankind  as 
they  are — to  go  to  the  people  and  take  them  as  they  are. 
9:121. 

I  wish  you  all  to  understand  that  no  Elders  go  to  any 
place  among  the  world  but  what  the  wicked  find  fault  with 
the  people  of  God.  4:78 

Let  me  now  say  to  my  brethren,  the  Elders  of  Israel, 
it  is  always  proper  to  ask  kindly  and  affectionately  the  peo- 
ple to  perform  what  you  wish  performed,  instead  of  order- 
ing them  to  do  it.  This  principle  is  always  good  for  par- 
ents and  teachers  to  observe.  10*228 

Elders  of  Israel,  learn  to  be  spiritual  physicians     Carry 


MISSIONARY  WORK  501 

the  medicine  with  you  to  deal  out  to  every  patient  as  he 
needs  it.  If  a  patient  has  chills  and  fever  in  his  spirit,  you 
must  carry  the  medicine  to  cure  it.  9  -125. 

Never  suffer  yourselves  to  mingle  in  any  of  those  recre- 
ations that  tend  to  sin  and  iniquity,  while  you  are  away 
from  the  body  of  the  Church,  where  you  cannot  so  fully 
control  yourselves.  1  '48. 

I  recollect,  in  England,  sending  an  Elder  to  Bristol,  to 
open  a  door  there,  and  see  if  anybody  would  believe.  He 
had  a  little  more  than  thirty  miles  to  walk;  he  starts  off 
one  morning,  and  arrives  at  Bristol;  he  preached  the  gos- 
pel to  them,  and  sealed  them  all  up  to  damnation,  and  was 
back  next  morning.  He  was  just  as  good  a  man,  too,  as  we 
had  It  was  want  of  knowledge  caused  him  to  do  so  I 
go  and  preach  to  the  people,  and  tell  them  at  the  end  of 
every  sermon,  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be 
saved ;  and  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned.  I  con- 
tinue preaching  there  day  after  day,  week  after  week,  and 
month  after  month,  and  yet  nobody  believes  my  testimony, 
that  I  know  of,  and  I  don't  see  any  signs  of  it  "What  shall 
I  do  in  this  case,  if  I  am  sent  to  preach  there?"  you  may 
inquire.  You  must  continue  to  preach  there,  until  those 
who  sent  you  shall  tell  you  to  leave  that  field  of  labor ;  and 
if  the  people  don't  manifest  by  their  works,  that  they  be- 
lieve, as  long  as  they  come  to  hear  me,  I  will  continue  to 
plead  with  them  'until  they  bend  their  dispositions  to  the 
Gospel?  Why?  Because  I  must  be  patient  with  them,  as 
the  Lord  is  patient  with  me;  as  the  Lord  is  merciful  to  me, 
I  will  be  merciful  to  others ;  as  he  continues  to  be  merciful 
to  me,  consequently  I  must  continue  in  long-suffering  to  be 
merciful  to  others — patiently  waiting,  with  all  diligence, 
until  the  people  will  believe,  and  until  they  are  prepared  to 


502  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM   YOUNG 

become  heirs  to  a  celestial  kingdom,  or  angels  to  the  Devil 
3.91. 

In  the  first  place,  I  want  to  say  to  the  Elders  who  go  forth 
to  preach  the  Gospel — no  matter  who  may  apply  to  you  for 
baptism,  even  if  you  have  good  reason  to  believe  they  are 
unworthy,  if  they  require  it,  forbid  them  not,  but  perform 
that  duty  and  administer  the  ordinance  for  them ,  it  clears 
the  skirts  of  your  garments,  and  the  responsibility  is  upon 
them  14-78 

The  meek  and  lowly  Jesus  sent  his  disciples  without 
purse  or  scrip ;  and  when  the  honest  in  heart  see  our  Eldeis 
go  in  the  same  manner  that  Jesus'  disciples  did,  with  the 
doctrine  that  he  delivered  to  his  disciples,  and  preach  with- 
out purse  or  sciip,  our  Elders  will  find  plenty  of  honest- 
hearted  persons  who  will  receive  their  testimony  But 
when  the  Elders  go  into  the  great  cities,  hire  large  halls 
and  hire  carriages  to  ride  to  their  pulpit  in,  the  people  say 
it  is  a  speculation,  and  such  Elders  do  not  have  much  of  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  to  preach  to  the  people.  13 .90. 

When  you  reach  your  fields  of  labor,  do  the  best  you 
can ,  and  when  the  enemy  comes  along  and  tells  you  that 
you  are  somebody,  say,  "Mr  Devil,  it  is  none  of  your  busi- 
ness, What  I  have  spoken  is  what  the  Lord  gave  to  me 
I  have  presented  it  to  the  people,  and  that  is  all  I  have  to 
do  with  it."  If  you  cannot  preach  as  nicely  and  smoothly 
as  you  wish,  and  a  feeling  rises  that  you  cannot  preach  at 
all— that  you  had  better  return  home,  tell  Satan  to  get 
behind  you — that  he  has  no  power  to  dictate  whether  you 
preach  a  word  or  not,  for  you  are  in  the  Lord's  service.  So 
live  that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  can  instruct  your  minds  at 
all  times,  and  you  can  then  defy  the  Devil  and  all  his 
emissaries.  If  you  have  nothing  from  the  Lord  to  present 


MISSIONARY  WORK  503 

to  the  people,  be  as  willing  to  be  silent  as  you  would  to 
preach  what  might  be  termed  a  splendid  discourse.  8:55. 

I  do  not  think  there  was  worse  said  about  the  Savior 
and  his  disciples  in  ancient  days  than  has  been  said  about 
the  people  of  Utah  in  modern  times.  Take  no  notice  of 
this,  but  attend  to  the  business  about  which  you  have  been 
sent  Tell  this  generation  the  truth,  and  pass  along.  Do 
not  contend  or  argue  much  but  pass  along  peaceably  and 
preach  the  first  principles  of  the  Gospel.  8 :56. 

If  you  should  have  visits  here  from  those  professing  to 
be  Christians,  and  they  intimate  a  desire  to  preach  to  you, 
by  all  means  invite  them  to  do  so.  Accord  to  every  reput- 
able person  who  may  visit  you,  and  who  may  wish  to  occupy 
the  stands  of  your  meeting  houses  to  preach  to  you,  the 
privilege  of  doing  so,  no  matter  whether  he  be  a  Catholic, 
Presbyterian,  Congregationalist,  Baptist,  Free-will  Baptist, 
Methodist,  or  whatever  he  may  be;  and  if  he  wishes  to 
speak  to  your  children  let  him  do  so.  Of  course  you  have 
the  power  to  correct  whatever  false  teachings  or  im- 
pressions, if  any,  your  children  may  hear  or  receive.  14:195. 

When  men  enjoy  the  spirit  of  their  missions  and  realize 
their  calling  and  standing  before  the  Lord  and  the  people, 
it  constitutes  the  happiest  portions  of  their  lives.  8 :53. 

Some  inquire,  "Why  cannot  we  serve  God  in  other 
countries  as  well  as  here?"  You  can  just  as  well  in  Eng- 
land, in  France,  in  Germany,  in  Italy,  on  the  islands  of  the 
sea,  in  the  United  States,  in  California,  or  anywhere  else, 
as  you  can  here.  2 :253. 

The  Returned  Missionary — Come  home  with  your  heads 
up,  Keep  yourselves  clean,  from  the  crowns  of  your  heads 
to  the  soles  of  your  feet;  be  pure  in  heart, — otherwise  you 
will  return  bowed  down  in  spirit  and  with  a  fallen  coun- 


504  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

tenance,  and  will  feel  as  though  you  nevei  could  rise  again. 
8-55. 

I  wish  to  make  this  request  that  the  Elders  who  return 
from  missions  consider  themselves  just  as  much  on  a  mis- 
sion here  as  in  England  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  world 
14  220. 

We  frequently  call  the  brethren  to  go  on  missions  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  and  they  will  go  and  labor  as  faithfully 
as  men  can  do,  fervent  m  spirit,  in  prayer,  in  laying  on 
hands,  in  preaching  to  and  teaching  the  people  how  to  be 
saved  In  a  few  years  they  come  home,  and  throwing  off 
their  coats  and  hats,  they  will  say,  "Religion,  stand  aside)( 
I  am  going  to  work  now  to  get  something  for  myself  and 
my  family  "  This  is  folly  in  the  extreme.  When  a  man 
returns  from  a  mission  where  he  has  been  preaching  the 
Gospel  he  ought  to  be  just  as  ready  to  come  to  this  pulpit 
to  preach  as  if  he  were  m  England,  France,  Germany,  or  on 
the  islands  of  the  sea  And  when  he  has  been  at  home  a 
week,  a  month,  a  year,  or  ten  years,  the  spirit  of  preaching 
and  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  ought  to  be  within  him  like  a 
river  flowing  forth  to  the  people  in  good  words,  teachings, 
precepts,  and  examples  If  this  is  not  the  case  he  does  not 
fill  his  mission.  •  14.100. 

Do  not  come  from  your  missions  leaving  behind  you 
people  whom  you  have  oppressed,  from  whom  you  have 
begged  their  money.  I  would  work  my  way  there  and 
back  again,  or  beg  from  strangers,  before  I  would  take  one 
dime  from  the  Saints,  unless  they  of  their  own  free  will  and 
accord  wished  to  make  me  presents,  and  were  able  to  do 
so  without  distressing  themselves  True,  I  have  seen  the 
'time,  and  so  have  many  of  my  brethren,  when  my  heart 
has  ached  to  see  men  and  women  gx>  without  food  day  after 


MISSIONARY  WORK  505 

day  for  the  sake  of  feeding  me,  when  I  could  feed  myself; 
but  any  other  course  would,  not  satisfy  them.  Under  such 
circumstances  you  must  humor  the  people  and  yield  to  their 
feelings.  8:55. 

Those  faithful  Elders  who  have  testified  of  this  work  to 
thousands  of  people  on  the  continents  and  islands  of  the 
seas  will  see  (the  fruits  of  their  labors,  whether  they  have 
said  five  words  or  thousands  They  may  not  see  these 
fruits  immediately,  and  perhaps,  in  many  cases,  not  until 
the  Millennium ;  but  the  savor  of  their  testimony  will  pass 
down  from  father  to  son,  8:142. 

The  Gospel  is-  Preached  With  Authority— When  a  man 
who  is  called  and  ordained  of  God  goes  forth  he  preaches 
the  ordinances,  faith  in  Christ  and  obedience  to  him  as  our 
Savior.  He  declares  that  the  first  step  to  be  taken,  after 
believing  in  the  Father  and  the  Son,  is  to  go  down  into  the 
waters  of  baptism  and  there  be  immersed  in  the  water,  and 
come  up  out  of  the  water  as  Jesus  did.  Some  may  inquire 
why  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  so  strenuous  on  this  point? 
We  do  it  for  the  remission  of  sins;  Jesus  did  this  to  fulfil 
all  righteousness.  14:96. 

Perhaps  some  may  say  that  I  have  too  much  faith  in 
the  prophecies  of  God,  in  the  latter-day  work,  and  in  the 
administration  of  individuals  that  now  live  and  have  lived 
on  the  earth  in-  our  day.  Be  it  so,  no  matter  to  me,  I  am 
here  to  testify  in  the  name  of  the  God  of  Israel  that  for  many 
years  past  there  have  been  men  traveling  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  earth  who  possess  the  same  power  and 
authority  as  that  with  which  Jesus  endowed  his  Apostles 
when  he  told  them  to  go  into  all  the  world  and  "preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature,  and  he  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tized shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be 


506  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

damned,  and  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe 
In  my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils,  heal  the  sick,  speak 
with  new  tongues,"  etc  14-131 

The  Spirit,  Not  Logic  or  Debate,  Makes  Converts— Let 
one  go  forth  who  is  careful  to  prove  logically  all  he  says 
by  numerous  quotations  from  the  revelations,  and  let  an- 
other travel  with  him  who  can  say,  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  and  tell  what  the  people 
should  believe— what  they  should  do— how  they  should 
live,  and  teach  them  to  yield  to  the  pimciples  of  salvation,— 
though  he  may  not  be  capable  of  producing  a  single  logical 
argument,  though  he  may  tremble  under  a  sense  of  his 
weakness,  cleaving  to  the  Lord  for  strength,  as  such  men 
generally  do,  you  will  invariably  find  that  the  man  who 
testifies  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  convince  and 
gather  many  more  of  the  honest  and  upright  than  will  the 
merely  logical  reasoner.  8  53, 

However  good  and  useful  a  classical  education  may  be 
in  the  possession  of  a  good  and  wise  man,  yet  it  is  not 
essentially  necessary  for  him  to  have  it,  to  tell  the  simple 
truth  which  is  given  to  mankind  by  the  revelations  of  God, 
because  it  can  be  told  by  the  simple  and  the  unlearned 
11-215. 

Debate  and  argument  have  not  that  saving  effect  that 
has  testifying  to  the  truth  as  the  Lord  reveals  it  to  the 
Elder  by  the  Spirit.  I  think  you  will  all  agree  with  me  in 
this ,  at  least,  such  is  my  experience.  I  do  not  wish  to  be 
understood  as  throwing  a  straw  in  the  way  of  the  Elders 
storing  their  minds  with  all  the  arguments  they  can  gather 
to  urge  m  defense  of  their  religion,  nor  do  I  wish  to  hinder 
them  in  the  least  from  learning  all  they  can  with  regard 


MISSIONARY  WORK  507 

to  religions  and  governments  The  more  knowledge  the 
Elders  have  the  better  8 -53 

I  had  only  traveled  a  short  time  to  testify  to  the  people, 
before  I  learned  this  one  fact,  that  you  might  prove  doc- 
trine from  the  Bible  till  doomsday,  and  it  would  merely 
convince  a  people,  but  would  not  convert  them  You  might 
read  the  Bible  from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and  prove 
every  iota  that  you  advance,  and  ttiat  alone  would  have  no 
converting  influence  upon  the  people.  Nothing  short  of  a 
testimony  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  would  bring 
light  and  knowledge  to  them — bring  them  in  their  hearts  to 
repentance  Nothing  short  of  that  would  ever  do  You 
have  frequently  heard  me  say  that  I  would  rather  hear  an 
Elder,  either  here  or  in  the  world,  speak  only  five  words 
accompanied  by  the  power  of  God,  and  they  would  do 
more  good  than  to  hear  long  sermons  without  the  Spirit 
That  is  true,  and  we  know  it  5 .327. 

When  a  false  theory  has  to  be  maintained,  it  requires  to 
be  set  forth  with  much  care,  it  requires  study,  and  learn- 
ing, and  cunning  sophistry  to  gild  over  a  falsehood  and  give 
it  the  semblance  of  truth,  and  make  it  plausible  and  con- 
genial to  the  feelings  of  the  people;  but  the  most  simple 
and  unlearned  person  can  tell  you  the  truth.  A  child  can 
tell  you  the  truth,  in  child-like  language,  while  falsehood 
requires  the  lawyer  and  the  priest  to  tell  it  to  make  it  at  all 
plausible ;  it  requires  a  scholastic  education  to  make  false- 
hood pass  for  truth.  11  *214. 

The  servants  of  God  have  truth,  and  nothing  but  truth, 
to  present  to  the  world,  that  the  world  may  be  sanctified 
by  the  truth  -  The  truth  needeth  no  polish  to  make  it 
lovely  and  desirable  to  those  who  love  it  11 .234. 

They  must  eventually  either  acknowledge  that  he  is  the 


508  DISCOURSES  OP  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Son  of  God  and  that  his  Gospel  is  the  only  Gospel,  or  they 
must  take  infidelity.  Sooner  or  later  the  sects,  one  after 
another,  will  deny  the  Savior  and  every  one  of  the  or- 
dinances of  his  Gospel,  until  they  are  all  enveloped  in 
infidelity,  or  they  must  accept  the  whole.  Strange  as  it 
may  appear,  they  are  now  following  shadows,  phantoms  of 
the  brain,  and  mischievous  manifestations  14  '74. 

What  should  the  wicked  hear ?  They  should  hear  a  man 
testify  that  Joseph  Smith  was  and  is  a  Prophet  of  God, 
that  he  was  a  good  man,  and  that  he  did  plant  and  estab- 
lish the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  we  know  it, 
"How  shall  I  know?"  says  one  By  obeying  the  command- 
ments given  to  you  The  Lord  has  said,  go  into  the  waters 
of  baptism  and  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  your  sins, 
and  you  shall  receive  a  witness  that  I  am  telling  you  the 
truth.  How?  By  baptism  and  the  laying  on  of  hands 
alone?  No.  By  seeing  the  'sick  healed?  No,  but  by  the 
Spirit  that  shall  come  unto  you  through  obedience,  which 
will  make  you  feel  like  little  children,  and  cause  you  to 
delight  in  doing  good,  to  love  your  Father  m  'Heaven  and 
the  society  of  the  righteous.  Have  you  malice  and  wrath 
then?  No,  it  is  taken  from  you,  and  you  feel  like  the  child 
m  its  mother's  lap.  You  will  feel  kind  to  your  children,  to 
your  brothers  and  sisters,  to  your  parents  and  neighbors, 
and  to  all  around  you ;  you  will  feel  a  glow,  as  of  fire,  burn- 
ing within  you;  and  if  you  open  your  mouths  to  (talk  you 
will  declare  ideas  which  you  did  not  formerly  think  of; 
they  will  flow  into  your  mind,  even  such  as  you  have  not 
thought  of  for  years  The  Scriptures  will  be  opened  to 
you,  and  you  will  see  how  clear  and  reasonable  everything 
is  which  this  or  that  Elder  teaches  you.  Your  hearts  will 
be  comforted,  you  can  He  down  and  sleep  in  peace,  and 


MISSIONARY  WORK  509 

wake  up  with  feelings  as  pleasant  as  the  breezes  of  sum- 
mer.  This  is  witness  to  you    3  211 

The  Latter-day  Saints  realize  that  there  is  no  period  of 
man's  existence  not  incorporated  with  the  plan  of  salva- 
tion, and  directly  pointing  to  a  future  existence.  Conse- 
quently, when  we  stand  here  to  speak  to  the  people,  let 
every  man  speak  what  is  in  his  heart.  If  one  of  our  Elders 
is  capable  of  giving  us  a  lecture  upon  any  of  the  sciences, 
let  it  be  delivered  in  the  spirit  of  meekness — in  the  spirit  of 
the  holy  Gospel  If,  on  the  Sabbath  day,  when  we  are 
assembled  here  to  worship  the  Lord,  one  'of  the  Elders 
should  be  prompted  to  give  us  a  lecture  on  any  branch  of 
education  with  which  he  is  acquainted,  is  it  outside  the 
pale  of  our  religion?  I  think  not.  If  any  of  the  Elders 
are  disposed  to  give  a  lecture  to  parents  and  children  on 
letters,  on  the  rudiments  of  the  English  language,  it  is  in 
my  religion,  it  ,is  a  part  of  my  faith,  Or  if  fan  Elder  shall 
give  us  a  lecture  upon  astronomy,  chemistry,  or  geology, 
our  religion  embraces  it  jail.  It  matters  not  what  the  sub- 
ject be,  if  it  tends  to  improve  the  mind,  exalt  the  feelings, 
and  enlarge  the  capacity.  The  truth  that  is  in  all  the  arts 
and  sciences  forms  a  part  of  our  religion.  Faith  is  no  more 
a  part  of  it  ,than  any  other  true  principle  of  philosophy 
Were  I  to  give  you  a  lecture  today  upon  farming,  would  I 
be  speaking  upon  a  matter  that  transcends  the  bounds  of 
our  religion ?  Agriculture  is  a  part  of  it  as  well  as  any  other 
truth  Were  I  to  lecture  on  business  principles  of  any  kind, 
our  religion  embraces  it ,  and  what  it  does  not  circumscribe, 
it  would  be  well  for  us  to  dispense  with  at  once  and  forever. 
1:334 

Humility  and  Devotion,  the  Essentials— The  Kingdom 
of  our  God,  that  is  set  upon  the  earth,  does  not  require  men 


510  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  many  words  and  flaming  oratorical  talents,  to  establish 
truth  and  righteousness,  It  is  not  the  many  words  that 
accomplish  the  designs  of  our  Father  in  Heaven,  with  him 
it  is  the  acts  of  the  people  more  than  their  words ,  this  I 
was  convinced  of  before  I  embraced  the  Gospel  Had  it 
not  been  that  I  clearly  saw  and  understood  that  the  Lord 
Almighty  would  take  the  weak  things  of  this  world  to  con- 
found the  mighty,  the  wise,  and  the  talented,  there  was 
nothing  that  could  have  induced  me,  or  persuaded  me,  to 
have  ever  become  a  public  speaker  4  20 

On  the  other  hand,  I  do  not  wish  any  of  the  brethren  to 
be  discouraged,  for  if  you  feel  that  you  cannot  say  a  single 
word,  no  matter,  if  you  will  only  be  faithful  to  your  God 
and  to  your  religion,  and  be  humble,  and  cleave  unto  right- 
eousness, and  forsake  iniquity  and  sin,  the  Lord  will  guide 
you  and  give  you  words  in  due  season.  2  268. 

I  have  known  some  of  the  Elders  when  they  thought 
they  would  be  called  out  to  preach,  keep  away  from  meet- 
ing lest  they  should  be  called  upon,  for  they  feel  their  little- 
ness, their  nothingness,  their  inability  to  rise  up  and  preach 
to  the  people.  They  do  not  feel  that  they  are  anybody,  and 
why  should  they  expose  their  weaknesses?  I  have  noticed 
one  thing  in  regard  to  this — quite  as  many  of  these  men 
become  giants  in  the  cause  of  truth,  as  there  are  of  any 
other  class ;  for  when  they  get  away  they  begin  to  lean  on 
the  Lord,  and  to  seek  'unto  him,  and  feeling  theii  weak- 
nesses, they  ask  him  to  give  them  wisdom  to  speak  to  the 
people  as  occasion  may  require  Otheis  can  rise  up  heie 
and  preach  a  flaming  discourse,  insomuch  that  you  would 
think  they  were  going  to  tear  down  the  nations ;  but  when 
they  go  out  into  the  world  they  often  accomplish  but  little. 
2:267, 


MISSIONARY  WORK  511 

Preach  Only  That  Which  is  Known— With  regard  to 
doctrinal  points,  that  which  we  do  not  understand  should 
not  be  talked  about  in,  this  stand ,  and  the  Elders  of  Israel 
should  never  contend  about  any  point  of  doctrine  that  does 
not  pertain  to  the  present  day's  salvation  7  47 

I  will  give  a  caution  to  my  brethren,  the  Elders — never 
undertake  to  teach  a  thing  that  you  do  not  understand 
Such  things  will  corne  into  your  minds,  but  without 
launching  out  on  such  subjects,  questions  may  be  asked  and 
answered,  and  we  gam  knowledge  from  each  other.  There 
is  plenty  within,  the  scope  of  our  own  brains  that,  by  the 
assistance  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  will  enable  us  to  tell 
many  things — more  than  the  world,  or  even  more  than  the 
Saints  can  receive  13  263 

If  you  do  not  understand  a  doctrine  or  a  portion  of 
Scripture,  when  information  is  asked  of  you,  say  that  the 
Lord  has  not  revealed  that  to  you,  or  that  he  has  not  opened 
your  understanding  to  grasp  it,  and  that  you  do  not  feel 
safe  m  giving  an  interpretation  until  he  does  8  56 

Hints  for  Preachers — Short  sermons  fitly  spoken,  are 
better  than  long  ones  ill  spoken  3  '249. 

The  spirit  of  truth  will  do  more  to  bring  persons  to 
light  and  knowledge,  than  flowery  words  4  21. 

I  wish  to  see  the  Elders  get  up  here  and  manifest  their 
spirits,  and  speak  as  they  feel  when  they  are  alone  in  their 
meditations.  3  237. 

I  care  little  for  a  man's  language,  if  his  spirit  proves 
to  me  that  he  has  the  love  of  God  within  him.  9:290. 

The  preacher  needs  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  deal 
out  to  each  heart  a  word  in  due  season,  and  the  hearers 
need  the  Holy  Ghost  to  bring  forth  the  fruits  of  the 
preached  word  of  God  to  his  glory.  8 :167 


512  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

No  man  ever  preached  a  Gospel  sermon,  except  by  the 
gift  and  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven, 
Without  this  power,  there  is  no  light  in  the  preaching 
8:138. 

Elders  in  this  Church— men  who  have  been  members 
for  years,-— often  speak  of  piinciples  in  the  abstract,  when 
they  would  be  better  understood  if  they  spoke  of  them  in 
connection  with  other  kindred  principles  8 .259 

Perfection  in  conveying  ideas  is  not  yet  given  to  the 
children  of  men.  Our  language  is  altogether  inadequate 
for  always  conveying  our  ideas  with  unmistakable  pre- 
cision, and  the  same  ideas  are  generally  advanced  in  dif- 
ferent words  by  different  persons,  8-259. 

When  a  person  opens  his  mouth,  no  matter  what  he  talks 
about,  to  a  person  of  quick  discernment  he  will  disclose 
more  or  less  of  his  true  sentiments  You  cannot  hide  the 
heart,  when  the  mouth  is  open  If  you  want  to  keep  your 
heart  secret,  keep  your  mouth  shut.  6  74. 

There  are  two  thousand  persons  in,  this  assembly,  and 
if  only  Jialf  a  dozen  of  them  have  done  wrong,  I  could  not 
chastise  them  without  appearing  to  chastise  the  whole  con- 
gregation, which  in  reality  is  not  so.  By  chastising  the 
guilty,  however,  it  is  impossible  |to  spot  the  conscience  of 
good  men  and  women,  whose  hearts  are  clean  and  pure  as  a 
piece  of  white  paper.  1 :92 

We  can  form  some  kind  of  an  idea  how  a  man  feels  by 
looking  at  him,  but  if  you  wish  a  man  to  portray  himself 
faithfully  you  must  get  him  to  talk,  and  I  will  insure  that 
the  organs  of  speech  will  show  out  the  true  state  of  the 
mind,  sooner  or  later,  and  reveal  the  fruit  of  his  heart,  No 
man  can  hide  it  if  ihej  is  allowed  to  talk;  he  will  be  sure  to 
manifest  his  true  feelings.  3 :237. 


MISSIONARY  WORK  513 

If  you  wish  to  impress  on  the  minds  of  individuals  or 
an  audience  anything  that  you  desire  them  to  remember, 
you  will  have  to  use  language,  accordingly.  14.193. 

When  we  hear  a  man  that  can  speak  of  heavenly  things, 
and  present  them  {to  the  people  in  a  way  that  they  can  be 
understood,  you  may  know  that  to  that  man  the  avenue  is 
open,  and  he,  by  some  power,  has  communication  with 
heavenly  beings ;  and  when  the  highest  intelligence  is  ex- 
hibited, he,  perhaps,  has  communication  with  the  highest 
intelligence  that  exists.  8:206 

I  do  not  like  to  hear  men  make  excuses,  although  it  is 
natural,  and  I  put  up  with  it.  I  wish  they  could  see  and 
understand  that  they  have  had  .'advantages  above  many  of 
their  brethren — that  they  have  been  greatly  blessed,  and 
should  never  complain,  but  should  stand  up  here  and  exer- 
cise themselves  according  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  and 
do  all  the  good  possible  for  them  to  do.  5  97 

The  truth  is  easily  understood,  and  as  easily  told.  The 
agriculturist  and  the  mechanic  can  tell  the  truth,  and  be- 
come efficient  ministers  of  it,  by  living  faithfully  in  accord- 
ance with  what  they  know  of  the  Gospel ;  for  in  this  way 
they  obtain  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  giveth  utterance.  11 :214. 

When  people  are  hungry  they  need  substantial  food; 
when  they  are  thirsty  they  need  substantial  drink  Moses' 
smiting  the  rock  would  not  have  benefited  the  people  in 
the  least,  if  water  had  not  gushed  out  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  true  minister  of  Christ  to  instruct  the  people  of  'God 
how  to  get  their  food1  today,  and  to  teach  them  by  precept 
and  example  how  to  become  an  independent  nation.  11  133* 

It  is  my  business  to  teach  mankind  how  to  live,  how 
to  honor  their  present  existence,  how  to  treat  their  bodies 
so  as  to  live  to  a  good  old  age  on  the  earth,  and  have  power 


514  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  do  good  and  not  evil  all  their  days,  and  be  ready  to  enter 
into  the  rest  prepared  for  the  Saints  10  27 

It  yields  solid  satisfaction  to  hear  men  testify  of  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  It  is  always  peculiarly  interesting  to 
me  to  hear  the  Saints  tell  their  experience.  It  is  to  me  one 
of  the  best  of  sermons  to  hear  men  and  women  relate  to 
each  other  how  the  Lord  has  wrought  upon  their  under- 
standing  and  brought  them  into  the  path  of  truth,  life,  and 
salvation  I  would  rather  hear  men  tell  their  own  experi- 
ence, and  testify  that  Joseph  was  a  Prophet  of  the  Lord, 
and  that  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the  Bible,  and  other  revela- 
tions of  God,  are  true;  that  they  know  it  by  the  gift  and 
power  of  God ;  that  they  have  conversed  with  angels,  have 
had  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  them,  giving  them 
visions  and  revelations,  than  hear  any  kind  of  preaching 
that  ever  saluted  my  ears.  1  89 

A  man  who  wishes  to  receive  light  and  knowledge,  to 
increase  in  the  faith  of  the  Holy  Gospel,  and  to  grow  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  Christ,  will  find  that 
when  he  imparts  knowledge  to  others  he  will  also  grow  and 
increase.  Be  not  miserly  in  your  feelings,  but  get  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  by  freely  imparting  it  to  others, 
and  be  not  like  a  man  who  selfishly  hoards  his  gold;  for 
that  man  will  not  thus  increase  upon  the  amount,  but  will 
become  contracted  in  his  views  and  feelings.  So  the  man 
who  will  not  impart  freely  of  the  knowledge  he  has  re- 
ceived, will  become  so  contracted  in  his  mind  that  he  can- 
not receive  truth  when  it  is  presented  to  him  Wherever 
you  see  an  opportunity  to  do  good,  do  it,  for  that  is  the  way 
to  increase  and  grow  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  2  -267 

If  a  congregation  wish  to'  be  instructed  so  as  to  under- 
stand alike  and  alike  receive  an  increase  of  wisdom  and 


MISSIONARY  WORK  515 

knowledge,  their  minds  must  be  intent  on  the  subject 
before  them.  They  must  not  suffer  their  thoughts  to  be 
roaming  over  the  earth;  they  must  not  permit  their  minds 
to  be  scanning  and  traversing  their  every-day  duties  and 
avocations  6  93-4. 

Elders  of  Israel  and  Bishops,  be  fathers,  and  take  a 
course  by  which  you  will  win  the  affections  of  the  people. 
How?  With  your  silken  lips?  No,  no;  but  with  the  fear  of 
the  Almighty.  Do  you  know  that  men  and  women  of  God 
love  truth?  They  do  not  love  sophistry,  it  is  an  abomina- 
tion to  them.  4:283. 

A  few  words  now,  with  regard'  to  preaching.  The 
greatest  and  loudest  sermon  that  can  be  preached,  or  that 
ever  was  preached  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  is  practice.  No 
other  is  equal  to  it.  12 .271-2. 

If  you  will  reflect  upon  what  class  of  speakers  have  most 
edified  you,  no  matter  whether  they  are  taught  or  un- 
taught in,  the  learning  of  the  schools,  you  will  readily  dis- 
cover that  it  has  been  those  whose  minds  were  stored  with 
good  ideas,  and  who  spoke  so  that  you  could  readily  and 
easily  understand  them,  whether  their  language  was 
couched  in  the  most  approved  style  or  not.  When  you 
hear  individuals  speak  whose  minds  are  stored  with  rich 
ideas,  do  they  not  benefit  you  the  'most?  I  care  but  little 
about  your  language,  hand  out  the  ideas,  and  let  us  know 
what  you  have  stored  in  your  minds.  3 :243-4 

I  have  the  same  diffidence  in  my  feelings  that  most 
public  speakers  have,  and  am  apt  to  think  that  others  can 
speak  better  and  more  edifying  than  I  can  There  are  but 
few  public  speakers  but  what  feel  more  or  less  timidity 
That  is  probably  not  so  much  a  man-fearing  spirit  as  it  is  a 
natural  delicacy  or  timidity.  All  of  you  have  doubtless  to 


516  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

some  extent  realized  the  same  feeling,  either  in  large  or 
small  assemblies,  and  also  in  social  conversation  People 
generally  are  more  or  less  disturbed  and  thrown  off  their 
balance  by  the  sound  of  their  own  voices,  especially  when 
speaking  to  an  audience,  even  after  being  much  used  to 
addressing  assemblies.  Some  of  our  most  eloquent  and 
interesting  speakers  would  rather  do  almost  anything  than 
speak  to  the  congregations  that  assemble  here.  That  diffi- 
dence or  timidity  we  must  dispense  with  When  it  be- 
comes our  duty  to  talk,  we  ought  to  be  willing  to  talk  If 
we  never  exhibit  the  knowledge  within  us,  the  people  will 
not  know  really  whether  we  have  any.  6  93, 

If  an  Elder  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  does  not  feel  that 
he  has  the  power  to  preach  life  and  salvation,  and  legally  to 
administer  the  ordinances,  and  that,  too,  by  the  power  of 
God,  he  will  not  fill  his  mission  to  his  own  credit,  nor  to 
the  good  of  the  people,  and  the  advancement  and  honor  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  From  all  I  can  read,  from  all  I  can 
gather,  from  the  revelations  from  God  to  man,  and  from 
the  revelations  of  the  Spirit  to  me,  no  man  can  successfully 
preach  the  Gospel  and  be  owned,  blessed,  and  acknowledged 
by  the  heavens,  unless  he  preaches  by  the  power  of  God 
through  direct  revelation.  Not  but  that,  in  a  great  many 
instances,  a  man  may  not  be  manifestly  under  the  immedi- 
ate and  powerful  influences  and  direction  of  revelation  to 
dictate  him  all  the  time  in  his  meditations  and  reasonings, 
and  yet  can  advance  many  good  ideas  that  he  has  gathered 
by  means  of  his  natural  reasoning.  But  to  magnify  and 
make  honorable  the  calling  of  an  Elder  in  this  Church,  I 
cannot  conceive,  in  my  understanding,  any  other  true  prin- 
ciple by  which  it  can  be  done,  only  when  perfectly  con- 
trolled by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  8:52-53. 


MISSIONARY  WORK  517 

When  a  "Mormon"  Elder  offers  evidence  of  this  great 
work  to  unbelievers,  they  tell  him  that  he  is  a  party  con- 
cerned, and  his  evidence  'cannot  be  taken  with  regard  to 
Joseph  Smith's  mission  I  ask  the  Christian  world,  Where 
are  your  witnesses  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ?  Who  are  those 
who  testified  of  his  mission,  and  how  many  are  there?  Eight 
persons  testified  of  him,  and  their  testimony  is  recorded, 
and  they  were  his  disciples  and  parties  concerned;  yet  at 
this  day  all  the  Christian  world  is  ready  to  receive  their 
testimony  I  testify  that  this  work  of  God  in  which  we  are 
engaged  has  been  commenced  to  gather  the  House  of  Israel 
and  establish  Zion  in  the  last  days,  and  has  more  outward 
and  weighty  evidence  to  prove  that  it  is  of  God  than  there 
was  in  the  days  of  Jesus  to  prove  that  he  was  the  Christ 
When  the  Book  of  Mormon  came  forth  it  was  testified  to 
by  twelve  witnesses,  and  who  can  dispute  their  testimony ? 
No  living  person  on  the  earth  can  do  it;  and  besides  the 
testimony  of  these  twelve  witnesses,  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands have  received  a  witness  to  themselves  from  the 
heavens,  and  who  can  dispute  their  testimony?  No  living 
person  on  the  earth  can  do  it  This  infidel  world  inquires, 
"Where  do  you  get  your  testimony?"  We  answer,  we  get 
it  from  the  heavens  Were  we  to  ask  them  where  they 
get  the  knowledge  they  possess,  they  reply,  "We  do  not 
know ;  it  came  to  us ;  we  know  not  its  source  "  We  have 
testimony  that  the  Bible  is  true,  that  the  prophecies  con- 
tained in  it  are  true,  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  and  came 
to  redeem  the  world.  Have  the  so-called  Christian  world 
this  kind  of  testimony'1  They  have  not  All  the  testimony 
they  can  boast  of  is  the  testimony  of  eight  men  who  lived 
nearly  two  thousand  years  ago.  The  infidel  world  cannot 


518  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

receive  their  testimony,  because  they  were  parties  con- 
cerned.   12:208. 

Brother  Whiting  says  that  he  is  a  man  of  but  few  words. 
I  am  satisfied  that  there  is  greater  wisdom  with  many  who 
say  but  little,  than  there  is  with  those  who  talk  so  much ; 
as  for  the  multitude  'of  words,  they  are  but  of  little  con- 
sequence, the  ideas  are  by  far  the  greatest  importance. 
4:20. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
VISIONS,   MYSTERIES  AND   MIRACLES 

Visions  of  a  Personal  Nature— I  ask,  Is  there  a  reason 
for  men  and  women  being  exposed  more  constantly  and 
more  powerfully,  to  the  power  of  the  enemy,  by  having 
visions  than  by  not  having  them  ?  There  is  and  it  is  simply 
this — God  never  bestows  upon  his  people,  or  upon  an  in- 
dividual, superior  blessings  without  a  severe  trial  to  prove 
them,  to  prove  that  individual,  or  that  people,  to  see 
whether  they  will  keep  their  covenants  with  him,  and  keep 
in  remembrance  what  he  has  shown  them.  Then  the 
greater  the  vision,  the  greater  the  display  of  the  power  of 
the  enemy. 

So  when  individuals  are  blessed  with  visions,  revela- 
tions, and  great  manifestations,  look  out,  then  the  Devil  is 
nigh  you,  and  you  will  be  tempted  in  proportion  to  the 
visions,  revelation,  or  manifestation  you  have  received. 
3  -205-206 

If  the  Lord  Almighty  should  reveal  to  a  High  Priest,  or 
to  any  other  than  the  head,  things  that  are  true,  or  that  have 
been  and  will  be,  and  show  to  him  the  destiny  of  this  people 
twenty-five  years  from  now,  or  a  new  doctrine  that  will  in 
five,  ten,  or  twenty  years  hence  become  the  doctrine  of  this 
Church  and  Kingdom,  but  which -has  not  yet  been  revealed 
to  this  people,  and  reveal  it  to  him  by'  the  same  Spirit,  the 
same  messenger,  the  same  voice,  the  same  power  that  gave 
revelations  to  Joseph  when  he  was  living,  it  would  be  a 
blessing  to  that  High  Priest,  or  individual;  but  he  must 
rarely  divulge  it  to  a  second  person  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
until  God  reveals  it  through  the  proper  source  to  become 


520  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  property  of  the  people  at  large.  Therefore  when  you 
hear  Elders  say  that  God  does  not  reveal  through  the 
President  of  the  Church  that  which  they  know,  and  tell 
wonderful  things,  you  may  generally  set  it  down  as  a  God's 
truth  that  the  revelation  they  have  had  is  from  the  Devil, 
and  not  from  God.  If  they  had  received  from  the  proper 
source,  the  same  power  that  revealed  to  them  would  have 
shown  them  that  they  must  keep  the  things  revealed  in 
their  own  bosoms,  and  they  seldom  would  have  a  desire  to 
disclose  them  to  the  second  person,  3  ;318 

Leave  Mysteries  Alone — Now,  brethren,  preach  the 
things  that  we  verily  believe,  and  when  we  come  to  points 
of  doctrine  that  we  do  not  know,  even  if  we  have  good 
reason  to  believe  them,  if  our  philosophy  teaches  us  they 
are  true,  pass  them  by  and  teach  only  to  the  people  that 
which  we  do  know.  13 .265. 

What  is  a  mystery?  We  do  not  know,  it  is  beyond  our 
comprehension  When  we  talk  about  mystery,  we  talk 
about  eternal  obscurity ;  for  that  which  is  known,  ceases  to 
be,  a  mystery,  and  all  that  is  known,  we  may  know  as  we 
progress  in  the  scale  of  our  intelligence.  That  which  is 
eternally  beyond  the  comprehension  of  all  our  intelligence 
is  mystery.  1  '274. 

These  are  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon 
the  earth,  to  know  how  to  purify  and  sanctify  our  affec- 
tions, the  earth  upon  which  we  stand,  the  air  we  breathe, 
the  water  we  drink,  the  housesf  in  which  we  dwell  and  the 
cities  which  we  build,  that  when  strangers  come  into  our 
country  they  may  feel  a  hallowed  influence  and  acknowl- 
edge a  power  to  which  they  are  strangers  10-176. 

Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  to  them  it  was  given  to  know 
the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but  to  them  that 


VISIONS,  MYSTERIES  AND  MIRACLES  521 

were  without,  it  was  not  given.  If  we  were  to  examine  the 
subject  closely,  we  should  learn  that  a  very  scanty  portion 
of  the  things  of  the  Kingdom  were  ever  revealed,  even  to 
the' disciples.  If  we  were  prepared  to  gaze  upon  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Kingdom,  as  they  are  with  God,  we  should  then 
know  that  only  a  very  small  portion  of  them  has  been 
handed  out  here  and  there.  God,  by  his  Spirit,  has  revealed 
many  things  to  his  people,  but,  in  almost  all  cases,  he  has 
straightway  shut  up  the  vision  of  the  mind.  He  will  let  his 
servants  gaze  upon  eternal  things  for  a  moment,  but 
straightway  the  vision  is  closed,  and  they  are  left  as  they 
were,  that  they  may  learn  to  act  by  faith,  or  as  the  Apostle 
has  it,  not  walking  by  sight,  but  by  faith.  1  -264. 

You  may  now  be  inclined  to  say,  "We  wish  to  hear  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  Gods  who  have  existed 
from  eternity,  and  of  all  the  kingdoms  in  which  they  will 
dwell;  we  desire  to  have  these  things  portrayed  to  our 
understandings." 

Allow  me  to  inform  you  that  you  are  in  the  midst  of  it 
all  now,  that  you  are  in  just  as  good  a  kingdom  as  you  will 
ever  attain  to,  from  now  to  all  eternity,  unless  you  make 
it  yourselves  by  the  grace  of  God,  by  the  will  of  God,  which 
is  a  code  of  laws  perfectly  calculated  to  govern  and  control 
eternal  matter.  3:336. 

If  they  will  only  live  up  to  it,  there  has  already  been 
enough  taught  the  brethren  who  have  lived  here  for  years 
to  prepare  them  to  enter  into  the  strait  gate  and  into  the 
New  Jerusalem,  and  be  prepared  to  enjoy  the  society  of 
the  holy  angels.  8:177. 

Providences  of  God,  All  Miracles— The  providences  of 
God  are  all  a  miracle  to  the  human  family  until  they  under- 
stand them.  There  are  no  miracles,  only  to  those  who  are 


522  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

ignorant  A  miracle  is  supposed  to  be  a  result  without  a 
cause,  but  there  is  no  such  thing  There  is  a  cause  for 
every  result  we  see ;  and  if  we  see  a  result  without  under- 
standing the  cause  we  call  it  a  miracle.  14  79. 

The  Gospel  plan  is  so  devised,  that  a  miracle  to  make 
people  believe  would  only  be  a  condemnation  to  them, 
When  you  hear  people  tell  what  they  have  seen — that  they 
have  seen  great  and  powerful  miracles  wrought,  and  they 
could  not  help  believing,  remember  that  "devils  believe 
and  tremble,"  because  they  cannot  help  it.  When  the 
voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd  is  heard,  the  honest  in  heart 
believe  and  receive  it  It  is  good  to  taste  with  the  inward 
taste,  to  see  with  the  inward  eyes,  and  to  enjoy  with  the 
sensations  of  the  ever-living  spirit  No  person,  unless  he 
is  an  adulterer,  a  fornicator,  covetous,  or  an  idolater,  will 
ever  require  a  miracle,  in  other  words,  no  good,  honest 
pei son  ever  will.  8:42. 

You  have  gathered  the  udea  from  me  that  it  is  not  the 
miracles  that  are  performed  before  a  person's  eyes  that 
convince  him  that  one  is  of  God,  or  of  the  Devil ;  yet,  if  the 
Lord  designs  that  a  person  should  heal  the  sick,  the  in- 
dividual can  do  so ;  but  is  that  to  convince  the  wicked  that 
the  operator  is  sent  of  God?  No,  it  is  a  blessing  on  the 
Saints,  and  the  wicked  have  nothing  to  do  with  it,  they 
have  no  business  to  hear  of  it ,  that  is  'for  the  Saints,  it  is 
especially  for  their  benefit,  and  theirs  alone.  3*211. 

This,  in  my  own  mind,  is  argued  out  perfectly,  upon 
natural  principles.  It  is  natural  for  me  to  believe  that,  if  I 
plough  the  ground  and  sow  wheat,  in  the  proper  season  I 
shall  reap  a  crop  &i  wheat;  this  is  the  natural  result  It 
was  precisely  so  with  the  miracles  that  Jesus  wrought  upon 
the  earth?  At  the  wedding  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  when  they 


VISIONS,   MYSTERIES  AND  MIRACLES  523 

had  drunk;  all  the  wine,  they  went  to  the  Savior  and  asked 
him  what  they  should  do  He  'ordered  them  to  fill  up  their 
pots  with  water,  and  after  having  done  so  they  drew  forth 
of  that  water  and  found  that  it  was  wine  I  believe  that 
was  real  wine;  I  do  not  believe  that  it  was  done  on  the 
principle  that  such  things  are  done  in  these  days  by  wicked 
men,  who,  by  means  of  what  they  term  psychology,  electro- 
biology,  mesmerism,  etc.,  influence  men  and  make  them 
believe  that  water  is  wine,  and  other  things  of  a  similar 
character.  The  Savior  converted  the  water  into  wine  He 
knew  how  to  call  the  necessary  elements  together  in  order 
to  fill  the  water  with  the  properties  of  wine,  The  elements 
are  all  around  us;  we  eat,  drink  and  breathe  them,  and 
Jesus,  understanding  the  process  of  calling  them  together, 
performed  no  miracle  except  to  those  who  were  ignorant  of 
that  process.  It  was  the  same  with  the  woman  who  was 
healed  by  touching  the  hem  of  his  garment;  she  was  healed 
by  faith,  but  it  was  no  miracle  to  Jesus.  He  understood 
the  process,  and  although  he  was  pressed  by  the  crowd, 
behind  and  before,  and  on  each  side,  so  that  he  could 
scarcely  make  his  way  through  it,  the  moment  she  touched 
him  he  felt  virtue  leave  him  and  enquired  who  touched 
him.  This  was  no  miracle  to  him.  He  had  the  issues  of 
life  and  death  in  his  power;  he  had  power  to  lay  down  his 
life  and  power  to  take  it  up  again  This  is  what  he  says, 
and  we  must  believe  this  if  we  believe  the  history  of  the 
Savior  and  the  sayings  of  the  Apostles  recorded  m  the  New 
Testament  Jesus  had  this  power  in  and  of  himself;  the 
Father  bequeathed  it  to  him;  it  was  his  legacy,  and  he  had 
the  power  to  lay  down  his  life  and  take  it  again  He  had 
the  streams  and  issues  of  life  within  him'  and  when  he  said 
"Live"  to  individuals,  they  lived.  The  diseases  that  are 


524  DISCOURSES  OF  BKIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  ever  have  been  prevalent  among  the  human  family  are 
from  beneath,  and  are  entailed  upon  them  through  the 
fall— through  the  disobedience  of  our  first  parents;  but 
Jesus,  having  the  issues  of  life  at  his  command,  could 
counteract  those  diseases  at  his  pleasure  The  case  of  the 
Centurion's  servant  is  a  striking  instance  of  this.  The 
Centurion  sent  and  besought  Jesus  to  heal  his  servant 
"Say  in  a  word,"  said  he,  "and  my  servant  shall  be  healed  " 
Jesus,  seeing  the  man's  earnestness  and  solicitude,  said, 
"1  have  not  found  so  great  faith,  no,  not  in  Israel,"  And 
it  is  said  that  they  who  were  sent,  returned  to  the  Cen- 
turion's house  and  found  the  servant  healed.  Jesus  coun- 
teracted the  disease  preying  upon  the  system  of  this  man, 
but  to  himself,  knowing  the  principle  by  which  the  disease 
was  rebuked,  it  was  no  miracle  13 :140-141 

As  quick  as  I  admit  that  the  history  Moses  gives  of  him- 
self is  true,  I  cannot  have  any  question  in  the  world  but 
what  in  ancient  days  they  understood  in  a  measure  how.to 
command  the  elements  The  magicians  of  Egypt  were 
instructed  in  things  pertaining  to  true  riches,  and  had 
obtained  keys  and  powers  enough  to  produce  a  bogus  in 
opposition  to  the  true  coin,  as  it  were,  and  thus  they 
deceived  the  king  and  the  people.  They  could  cause  frogs 
to  come  upon  the  land,  as  well  as  Moses  could.  They 
could  turn  the  waters  of  Egypt  into  blood,  and  in  many 
more  things  compete  with  Moses  There  was  one  thing, 
however,  they  could  not  do,  though  they  produced  a  very 
good  bogus,  but  it  was  not  quite  the  true  coin.  When 
they  threw  their  staffs  on  the  floor  before  the  king,  these 
could  not  swallow  the  staff  of  Moses,  but  the  staff  of 
Moses  swallowed  the  staffs  of  the  magicians.  I  have  no 


VISIONS,   MYSTERIES  AND  MIRACLES  525 

doubt  that  men  can  perform  many  such  wonders  by  the 
principles  of  natural  philosophy  1  270 

Miracles  for  Believers — Miracles,  or  these  extraordinary 
manifestations  of  the  power  of  God,  are  not  for  the  un- 
believer ;  they  are  to  console  the  Saints,  and  to  strengthen 
and  confirm  the  faith  of  those  who  love,  fear,  and  serve 
God,  and  not  for  outsiders.  12  97 

"Why  do  not  the  people  speak  with  tongues9"  We 
do,  and  we  speak  with  tongues  that  you  can  understand, 
and  Paul  says  he  would  rather  speak  five  or  ten  words  in 
a  language  that  can  be  understood,  than  many  in  a  lan- 
guage that  cannot  be,  This  is  what  may  be  conveyed 
15  :133 

Faith  Not  Dependent  on  Miracles — I  do  not  want  to 
see  a  miracle  to  confirm  the  truth  of  any  doctrine  or  saying 
that  is  revealed  to  me,  If  I  can  see  that  it  is  calculated  to 
purify  the  hearts  of  the  people  and  to  sanctify  their  affec- 
tions, and  to  reconcile  them  to  God  and  to  his  law  and 
government,  it  satisfies  me;  and  so  far  as  this  goes,  I  might 
say  that  I  am  like  the  Christian  world,  in  the  belief  that 
miracles  are  no  longer  needed.  But  I  believe  that  miracles 
are  as  absolutely  necessary  now  as  they  ever  were.  13 .140, 
Take  the  case  of  the  Children  of  Israel  and  the  miracles 
that  were  wrought  in  their  deliverance  from  the  land  of 
Egypt.  The  question  arises,  was  it  through  their  faith,  or 
because  of  the  promises  which  God  had  made  to  their 
fathers?  *  *  *  It  was  not  because  of  the  righteousness 
of  the  Children  of  Israel,  but  because  of  the  promises  of 
the  Lord  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  for  he  must  fulfil 
the  promises  made  to  his  servants.  He  wanted  at  one  time 
to  destroy  the  whole  people,  and  told  Moses  to  let  him 
alone  that  he  might  destroy  them  because  of  their  wicked- 


526  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

ness  and  rebellion,  and  he  would  make  of  him  (Moses)  a 
great  nation ,  but  Moses  pleaded  in  their  behalf,  and  called 
upon  the  Lord  to  remember  his  promises,  and  they  were 
preserved.  12.242-243 

Do  you  suppose  that  Jesus  Christ  healed  every  person 
that  was  sick,  or  that  all  the  devils  were  cast  out  in  the 
country  where  he  sojourned?  I  do  not.  Working  miracles, 
healing;  the  sick,  raising  the  dead,  and  the  like,  were  almost 
as1  rare  in  his  day  as  in  this  our  day  Once  in  a  while  the 
people  would  have  faith  in  his  power,  and  what  is  called 
a  miracle  would  be  performed,  but  the  sick,  the  blind,  the 
deaf  and  dumb,  the  crazy,  and  those  possessed  with  differ- 
ent kinds  of  devils  were  around  him,  and  only  now  and 
then  could  his  faith  have  power  to  take  effect,  on  account 
of  the  want  of  faith  in  the  individuals.  3  45-46 

If  we  have  faith  to  feel  that  the  issues  of  life  and  death 
are  m  our  power,  we  can  say  to  disease,  "Be  ye  rebuked  in 
the  name  of  Jesus,  and  let  life  and  health  come  into  the 
system  of  this  individual,  from  God,  to  counteract  this  dis- 
ease;" and  our  faith  will  bring  this  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands  by  administering  the  ordinance  of  the  holy  Gospel 
13.141. 

Men  who  have  professedly  seen  the  most,  known  and 
understood  the  most,  in  this  Church,  and  who  have  testi- 
fied m  the  presence  of  large  congregations,  in  the  name  of 
Israel's  God,  that  they  have  seen  Jesus,  etc ,  have  been  the 
very  men  who  have  left  this  Kingdom,  before  others  who 
had  to  live  by  faith.  3  *20S. 

You  will  recollect  that  I  have  often  told  you  that 
miracles  would  not  save  a  person,  and  I  say  that  they 
never  should.  If  I  were  to  see  a  man  come  in  here  this 
day,  and  say,  "I  am  the  great  one  whom  the  Lord  has  sent," 


VISIONS,  MYSTERIES  AND  MIRACLES  527 

and  cause  fire  to  come  down  in  our  sight,  through  the  ceil- 
ing that  is  over  our  heads,  I  would  not  believe  any  more 
for  that.  It  is  no  matter  what  he  does,  I  cannot  believe  any 
more  on  that  account.  What  will  make  me  believe  ?  What 
made  the  twelve  Apostles  of  Jesus  Christ  witnesses?  What 
constituted  them  Apostles — special  witnesses  to  the  world ? 
Was  it  seeing  miracles?  No.  What  was  it?  The  visions 
of  their  minds  were  opened,  and  it  was  necessary  that  a 
few  should  receive  light,  knowledge,  and  intelligence,  that 
all  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  could  not  gainsay  or  com- 
pete with.  That  witness  was  within  them,  and  yet,  after 
all  that  was  done  for  them,  after  all  that  Jesus  showed  them, 
and  after  all  the  power  of  the  spirit  of  revelation  which 
they  possessed,  you  find  that  one  of  them  apostatized, 
turned  away  and  sold  his  Lord  and  Master  for  thirty  pieces 
of  silver,  in  consequence  of  his  not  being  firm  to  his  cove- 
nant in  the  hour  of  darkness  and  temptation.  Another  of 
them  was  ready  to  say,  "I  do  not  know  anything  about  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  denied  him. 

Some  are  apt  now  to  say,  "I  don't  know  anything  about 
this  Mormonism,  I  don't  know  about  the  Priesthood."  Did 
you  not  once  know?  "I  thought  I  did,  but  now  I  find 
myself  deceived."  What  is  the  reason?  Because  they  give 
way  to  temptation ;  they  may  have  had  great  light,  knowl- 
edge, and  understanding,  the  visions  of  their  minds  may 
have  been  opened  and  eternity  exhibited  to  their  view,  but 
when  this  is  closed  up,  in  proportion  to  the  light  given  to 
them,  so  is  the  darkness  that  comes  upon  them  to  try  them. 
3:206-207. 

A  sister  who  receives  the  gift  of  tongues  is  not  thereby 
empowered  to  dictate  her  president,  or  the  Church.  All 
gifts  and  endowments  given  of  the  Lord  to  members  of  his 


528  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Church  are  not  given  to  control  the  Church;  but  they  are 
under  the  control  and  guidance  of  the  Priesthood,  and  are 
judged  by  it  Some  have  erred  upon  this  point,  and  have 
been  led  captive  by  the  Devil.  11:136. 

If  you  say  that  you  want  mysteries,  commandments, 
and  revelations,  I  reply  that  scarcely  a  Sabbath  passes  over 
your  heads,  those  of  you  who  come  here,  without  your 
having  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ  poured  upon  you  like 
water  on  the  ground.  3  336-337. 

Some  are  very  anxious  that  I  should  have  visions.  I 
have  all  that  the  Lord  gives  to  me ;  and  all  that  he  keeps 
back  he  may;  for  that  is  no  concern  of  mine.  We  are  on 
the  old  ship  Zion;  and  if  God  is  not  at  the  helm,  the  old 
ship  will  wreck  and  go  to  the  Devil.  As  for  my  taking 
charge  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  exclusively 
and  independently  of  direction  from  heaven,  I  shall  not 
do  any  such  thing.  If  the  Lord  does  not  direct  the  old 
ship  and  act  as  captain  and  pilot,  it  will  go  to  destruction. 

He  is  at  the  helm,  and  will  stay  there.  If  you  and  I 
will  bring  our  feelings  to  the  point  I  have  just  spoken  of, 
he  will  continue  to  guide  the  welfare  of  Zion  and  all  its 
rights.  5 :352. 


CHAPTER  XXX 
TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION 

Trials  are  Necessary — We  are  now  In  a  day  of  trial  to 
prove  ourselves  worthy  or  unworthy  of  the  life  which  is  to 
come.  12 :167. 

If  we  have  correct  doctrines,  and  will  fashion  our 
lives  to  them,  we  may  sanctify  ourselves  without  being 
chastened.  12:310. 

The  people  of  the  Most  High  God  must  be  tried.  It  is 
written  that  they  will  be  tried  in  all  things,  even'  as  Abra- 
ham was  tried.  If  we  are  called  to  go  upon  mount  Moriah 
to  sacrifice  a  few  of  our  Isaacs,  it  is  no  matter;  we  may 
just  as  well  do  that  as  anything  else.  I  think  there  is  a 
prospect  for  the  Saints  to  have  all  the)  trials  they  wish  for, 
or  can  desire.  4:369. 

All  intelligent  beings  who  are  crowned  with  crowns  of 
glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  lives  must  pass  through 
every  ordeal  appointed  for  intelligent  beings  to  pass 
through,  to  gain  their  glory  and  exaltation.  Every  calami- 
ty that  can  come  upon  mortal  beings  will  be  suffered  to 
come  upon  the  few,  to  prepare  them  to  enjoy  the  presence 
of  the  Lord.  If  we  obtain  the  glory  that  Abraham  obtained, 
we  must  do  so  by  the  same  means  that  he  did.  If  we  are 
ever  prepared  to  enjoy  the  society  of  Enoch,  Noah,  Mel- 
chizedek,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  or  of  their  faithful 
children,  and  of  the  faithful  Prophets  and  Apostles,  we 
must  pass  through  the  same  experience,  and  gain  the  knowl- 
edge, intelligence,  and  endowments  that  will  prepare  us  to 
enter  into  the  celestial  kingdom  of  our  Father  and  God. 
How  many  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  will  endure  all  these 


530  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

things,  and  be  prepared  to  enjoy  the  presence  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son?  You  can  answer  that  question  at  your  leisure. 
Every  trial  and  experience  you  have  passed  through  is  nec- 
essary for  your  salvation.  8 .150. 

Should  our  lives  be  extended  to  a  thousand  years,  still 
we  may  live  and  learn.  Every  vicissitude  we  pass  through 
is  necessary  for  experience  and  example,  and  for  prepara- 
tion to  enjoy  that  reward  which  is  for  the  faithful.  9.292. 

If  Adam  had  not  sinned,  and  if  his  posterity  had  con- 
tinued upon  the  earth,  they  could  not  have  known  sin,  or 
the  bitter  from  the  sweet,  neither  would  they  have  known 
righteousness,  for  the  plain  and  simple  reason  that  every 
effect  can  only  be  fully  manifested  by  its  opposite.  If  the 
Saints  could  realize  things  as  they  are  when  they  are  called 
to  pass  through  trials,  and  to  suffer  what  they  call  sacri- 
fices, they  would  acknowledge  them  to  be  the  greatest 
blessings  that  could  be  bestowed  upon  them.  But  put  them 
in  possession  of  true  principles  and  true  enjoyments,  with- 
out the  opposite,  and  they  could  not  know  enjoymet,  they 
could  not  realize  happiness.  They  could  not  tell  light  from 
darkness,  because  they  have  no  knowledge  of  darkness  and 
consequently  are  destitute  of  a  realizing  sense  of  light.  If 
they  should  not  taste  the  bitter,  how  could  they  realize  the 
sweet?  They  could  not  2.301-302. 

You  will  learn  this  in  the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
and  in  the  revelations  given  through  Joseph.  We  must 
know  and  understand  the  opposition  that  is  in  all  things,  in 
order  to  discern,  choose,  and  receive  that  which  we  do 
know  will  exalt  us  to  the  presence  of  God.  You  cannot 
know  the  one  without  knowing4  the  other.  This  is  a  true 
principle,  4.373. 

Now  if  you  possess  the  light  of  the  (Holy  Spirit,  you 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  531 

can  see  clearly  that  trials  in  the  flesh  are  actually  necessary. 
2:8. 

Purpose  of  Persecution— Let  any  people  enjoy  peace 
and  quiet,  unmolested,  undisturbed,— never  be  persecuted 
for  their  religion,  and  they  are  very  likely  to  neglect  their 
duty,  to  become  cold  and  indifferent,  and  lose  their  faith. 
7:42. 

He  led  this  people  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  finger  of  scorn  has  been  pointed  at  them.  Officers 
of  the  Government  of  the  United  States  have  lifted  their 
heel  against  them,  and  this  people  have  been  driven  from 
town  to  town,  from  county  to  county,  and  from  state  to 
state.  The  Lord  has  his  design  in  this.  You  may  ask  what 
his  design  is.  You  all  know1  that  the  Saints  must  be  made 
pure,  to  enter  into  the  celestial  kingdom.  It  is  recorded 
that  Jesus  was  made  perfect  through  suffering.  If  he  was 
made  perfect  through  suffering,  why  should  we  imagine  for 
one  moment  that  we  can  be  prepared  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  rest  with  him  and  the  Father,  without  passing 
through  similar  ordeals  ?  8 :66. 

We  are  infinitely  more  blessed  by  the  persecutions  and 
injustice  we  have  suffered,  than  we  could  have  been  if  we 
had  remained  in  our  habitations  from  which  we  have  been 
driven— than  if  we  had  been  suffered  to  occupy  our  farms, 
gardens,  stores,  mills,  machinery  and  everything  we  had 
in  our  former  possessions.  10 :38. 

Persecution  May  Be  Expected — I  wish  to  inform  you, 
brethren  and  sisters,  who  have  just  arrived  in  these  valleys, 
that  all  your  trials  hitherto  are  but  trifling  in  comparison 
to  the  trials  you  will  now  be  called  to  meet  and  pass 
through.  8:163. 

War  has  been  declared  against  the  Saints  over  twenty- 


532  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

seven  years,  and  our  enemies  have  only  fallen  back  so  as 
to  gain  strength  and  pretexts  for  making  another  attack. 
Will  that  spirit  increase?  If  it  does,  and  we  love  our 
religion,  let  me  tell  you  that  we  will  increase  faster  than 
our  enemies  will.  5 :340. 

Only  be  faithful,  brethien  and  sisters,  and  I  promise  that 
you  shall  have  all  such  privileges  as  shall  be  for  your  good. 
You  need  not  be  discouraged,  or  mourn,  because  you  were 
not  in  Jackson  County  persecutions,  or  weie  not  driven 
from  Ohio,  Missouri,  and  Illinois,  and  stripped,  robbed  and 
plundered  of  all  your  property  Do  not  mourn  and  feel 
bad,  because  you  were  not  in  Nauvoo,  have  no  fears,  for 
if  the  word  of  the  Lord  is  true,  you  shall  yet  be  tried  in  all 
things,  so  rejoice,  and  pray  without  ceasing,  and  in  every- 
thing give  thanks,  even  if  it  is  in  the  spoiling  of  your  goods, 
for  it  is  the  hand  of  God  that  leads  us,  and  will  continue  so 
to  do  Let  every  man  and  woman  sanctify  themselves  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  every  providence  of  the  Almighty  shall 
be  sanctified  for  good  of  them  1  '279. 

The  ancient  Saints  \\eie,  and  the  Saints  of  latter  days 
have  been,  driven  from  pillar  to  post,  their  name  a  hiss  and 
a  by-word,  and  their  character  traduced  to  the  lowest  de- 
gree. I  will  appeal  to  men  in  this  congregation,  who  have 
lived  for  years  in  the  society  of  the  world,  who  are  judges, 
magistrates,  sheriffs,  merchants,  mechanics,  and  farmers,  if 
anything  was  ever  alleged  against  their  character  until  they 
joined  the  Latter-day  Saints.  But  where  are  your  char- 
acters now  in  the  world?  Your  former  friends  now  have 
found  out  that  you  always  were  miserable  creatures,  they 
now  declare  they  never  had  any  confidence  in  you,  for  you 
always  were  enthusiastic  beings,  and  knew  not  what  you 
were  doing  They  always  believed  you  would  prove  your- 


BRJGHAM  YOUNG 

As  A  YOUNG  MAN 


BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

MATURED 


THE  HOME  OP  BEIGHAM  Yoroc  IN  NAUVOO 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  533 

selves  dishonest,  etc.  This  has  been  the  character  given 
to  the  Saints  by  the  world  in  all  ages.  1  ;236. 

Meet  Trials  Cheerfully — We  are  the  happiest  people 
when  we  have  what  are  called  trials ;  for  then  the  Spirit  of 
God  is  more  abundantly  bestowed  upon  the  faithful  If 
the  Lord  requires  it,  I  would  as  soon  consume  all  I  have 
and  go  into  the  mountains  with  my  family  as  to  do  a  good 
many  other  things.  5  332. 

I  say  to  the  Latter-day  Saints,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to 
lejarn  of  God.  Let  the  liars  lie  on,  and  let  the  swearers 
swear  on,  and  they  will  go<  to  perdition  All  we  have  to 
do  is  to  go  onward  and  upward,  and  keep  the  command- 
ments of  our  Father  and  God,  and  he  will  confound  our 
enemies.  19 :50. 

There  is  not  a  hardship,  there  is  not  'a  disappointment, 
there  is  not  a  trial,  there  is  not  a  hard  time,  that  comes 
upon  this  people  in  this  place,  but  that  I  am  more  thankful 
for  than  I  am  for  full  granaries,  4.51. 

We  have  passed  through  a  great  many  scenes,  we  may 
say,  of  tribulation,  though  I  would  have  all  my  brethren 
understand  that  I  do  not  take  this  to  myself,  for  all  that  I 
have  passed  through  has  been  joy  and  joyful  to  me;  but 
we  have  seemingly  sacrificed  a  great  deal,  and  passed 
through  many  scenes  of  trial  and  temptations,  no  doubt  of 
this  We  have  had  to  suffer  temptation  more  or  less,  and 
we  have  taken  the  spoiling  of  our  goods  joyfully.  I  have, 
myself,  five  times  before  I  came  to  this  valley,  left  every- 
thing that  the  Lord  had  blessed  me  with  pertaining  to  this 
world's  goods,  which,  for  the  country  where  I  lived,  was 
not  a  very  little.  18.237. 

As  to  trials,  why  bless  your  hearts,  the  man  or  woman 
who  enjoys  the  spirit  of  "our  religion  has  no  trials;  but  the 


534  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

man  or  woman  who  tries  to  live  according-  to  the  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  clings  to  the  spirit  of 
the  world,  has  trials  and  sorrows  acute  and  keen,  and  that, 
too,  continually. 

Cast  off  the  yoke  of  the  enemy,  and  put  on  the  yoke  of 
Christ,  and  you  will  say  that  his  yoke  is  easy  and  his  burden 
is  light.  This  I  know  by  experience.  16  '123 

I  have  heard  a  great  many  tell  about  what  they  have 
suffered  for  Christ's  sake  I  am  happy  to  say  I  never  had 
occasion  to,  I  have  enjoyed  a  great  deal,  but  so  far  as  suf- 
fering goes  I  have  compared  it  a  great  many  times,  in  my 
feelings  and  before  congregations,  to  a  man  wearing  an 
old,  worn-out,  tattered  and  dirty  coat,  and  somebody  comes 
along  and  gives  him  one  that  is  new,  whole  and  beautiful. 
This  is  the  comparison  I  draw  when  I  think  of  what  I  have 
suffered  for  the  Gospel's  sake— I  have  thrown  away  an  old 
coat  and  have  put  on  a  new  one  No  man  or  woman  ever 
heard  me  tell  about  suffering  "Did  you  not  leave  a  hand- 
some property  m  Ohio,  Missouri,  and  Illinois?"  Yes  "And 
have  you  not  suffered  through  that?"  No,  I  have  been 
growing  better  and  better  all  the  time,  and  so  have  this 
people.  And  you  may  take  the  history  of  the  world  from 
the  days  of  Adam  down,  land  I  am  at  the  defiance  of  any 
historian  to  prove  that  the  Saints  have  ever  suffered  as 
much  as  the  sinners,  This  is  my  belief  about  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ  Some  may  say,  "Did  not  the  children  of 
Israel  suffer?"  Yes  "Why?"  Because  of  their  iniquity. 
They  transgressed  the  laws  God  had  given  them;  they 
changed  the  ordinances  and  broke  the  everlasting  covenant, 
and  for  their  sin  and  disobedience  they  were  led  into  cap- 
tivity. If  they  had  been  obedient,  I  reckon  they  would 
have  been  led  direct  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  stayed  there. 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  535 

Some  may  say,  "Now,  Mr.  Speaker,  you  have  been  driven 
from  your  home,  was  it  for  righteousness?"  No,  I  expect 
not  I  expect  it  was  to  chasten  me  and  make  me  better 
13-147. 

Cause  of  Persecution — Hatred  and  persecution  have  been 
the  lot  of  every  man  that  ever  lived  upon  the  earth  hold- 
ing the  oracles  of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to  deliver  to  the 
children  of  men.  Wicked  men,  Satan,  and  all  the  powers 
of  hell  and  hate  are  at  war  with  every  holy  principle  that 
God  wishes  to  place  in  the  possession  of  his  children.  That 
is  the  true  reason  of  the  hatred  and  persecution  meted  out 
to  us,  8  13. 

Do  you  know  that  that  very  principle  caused  the  death 
of  all  the  Prophets,  from  the  days  of  Adarn  until  now? 
Let  a  Prophet  arise  upon  the  earth,  and  never  reveal  the 
evils  of  men,  and  do  you  suppose  that  the  wicked  would 
desire  to  kill  him  ?  No,  for  he  would  cease  to  be  a  Prophet 
of  the  Lord,  and  they  would  invite  him  to  their  feasts,  and 
hail  him  as  a  friend  and  brother.  Why?  Because  it  would 
be  impossible  for  him  to  be  anything  but  one  of  them  It 
is  impossible  for  a  Prophet  of  Christ  to  live  in  an  adulter- 
ous generation  without  speaking  of  the  wickedness  of  the 
people,  without  revealing  their  faults  and  their  failings, 
and  there  is  nothing  short  of  death  that  will  stay  him  from 
it,  for  a  Prophet  of  God  will  do  as  he  pleases.  3 :4& 

The  false  religion  that  is  in  the  world,  is  what  raises 
this  "hue  and  cry,"  misguides  the  people,  and  opposes  itself 
against  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth.  Now  if  we 
would  only  fall  in  with  the  wicked  all  would  be  right,  and 
then  no  person  would  wish  to  persecute  us.  2:181. 

Why  should  we  have  enemies?  "Why  is  it,"  say  our 
objectors,  "that  you  cannot  mingle  and  mix  in  society  like 


536  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

other  religious  denominations?"  It  has  been  seen  that  the 
people  would  not  permit  us  to  dwell  m  their  midst  in  peace 
We  have  been  universally  driven  by  illegal  force,  by  mobs, 
murderers,  and  assassins,  as  unworthy  of  having  a  place 
amongst  the  abodes  of  civilized  man,  until,  as  a  last  resort, 
we  found  peace  in  these  distant  valleys.  It  is  because  our 
religion  is  the  only  true  one.  It  is  because  we  have  the  only 
true  authority,  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  to  ad- 
minister in  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  because  the 
keys  of  this  dispensation  were  committed  by  messengers 
sent  from  the  Celestial  world  unto  Joseph  Smith,  and  are 
now  held  on  the  earth  by  this  people.  It  is  because  Christ 
and  Lucifer  are  enemies,  and  cannot  be  made  friends;  and 
Lucifer,  knowing  that  we  have  this  Priesthood,  this  power, 
this  authority,  seeks  our  overthrow.  2:177. 

All  hell  is  moved  against  this  people,  because  we  are 
of  one  heart  and  of  one  mind  5  '228. 

It  is  light,  intelligence,  the  power  of  God  that  make  the 
wicked  tremble  and  wish  "Mormomsm"  out  of  the  way. 
If  it  were  a  false  doctrine  or  a  false  theory,  the  Devil  would 
not  endeavor  to  disturb  it,  wicked  men  would  not  fear  it, 
Heaven  would  not  smile  upon  it,  nor  give  a  revelation  to 
any  man  or  woman  to  believe  it,  and  we  should  have  poor 
success;  and  Heaven  forbid  that  we  should  have  success 
or  gain  influence  upon  any  other  principle  than  the  revela- 
tions of  Jesus1  Christ.  7 :160. 

We  were  not  persecuted  because  we  believed  in  having 
many  wives,  for  that  principle  was  not  known  to  our  perse- 
cutors until  we  came  to  these  mountains,  although  the 
revelation  was  received  by  Joseph  Smith  and  written  a 
year  before  his  death.  14  119. 

We  are  Christians  professedly,  according  to  our  religion. 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  537 

People  have  gathered  to  themselves  certain  ideas,  and  laid 
them  down  as  systems,  calling-  them  religion,  all  profess- 
ing to  believe  and  obey  the  Scriptures  Their  religions  are 
peculiar  to  themselves — our  religion  is  peculiar  to  God,  to 
angels,  and  to  the  righteous  of  time  and  eternity.  Why 
are  we  persecuted  because  of  our  religion?  Why  was 
Joseph  Smith  persecuted  ?  Why  was  he  hunted  from  neigh- 
borhood to  neighborhood,  from  city  to  city,  from  state  to 
state,  and  at  last  suffered  death?  Because  he  received 
revelations  from  the  Father,  from  the  Son,  and  was  min- 
istered to  by  holy  angels,  and  published  to  the  world  the 
direct  will  of  the  Lord  concerning  his  children  on  the  earth 
Again,  why  was  he  persecuted?  Because  he  revealed  to 
all  mankind  a  religion  so  plain  and  so  easily  undei  stood, 
consistent  with  the  Bible,  and  so  true  It  is  now  as  it  was 
in  the  days  of  the  Savior;  let  people  believe  and  practice 
these  simple,  God-like  truths,  and  it  will  be  as  it  was  in  the 
old  world,  they  will  say,  if  this,  man  be  let  alone  he  will 
come  and  take  away  our  peace  and  nation.  18  231. 

Disobedience  Causes  Persecution — When  we  look  at  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  we  ask,  is  there  any  necessity  of  their 
being  persecuted?  Yes,  if  they  are  disobedient.  Is  there 
any  necessity  of  chastening  a  son  or  a  daughter?  Yes,  if 
they  are  disobedient.  But  suppose  they  are  perfectly  obedi- 
ent to  every  requirement  of  their  parents,  is  there  any 
necessity  of  chastening  them  then?  If  there  is,  I  do  not 
understand  the  principle  of  it.  I  have  not  yet  been  able 
to  see  the  necessity  of  chastening  an  obedient  child,  neither 
have  I  been  able  to  see  the  necessity  of  chastisement  from 
the  Lord  upon  a  people  who  are  perfectly  obedient.  Have 
this  people  been  chastened  ?  Yes,  they  have.  12  ;308 

We  have  been  persecuted,  driven,  smitten,  cast  out, 


538  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

robbed  and  hated ;  and  I  may  say  it  was  for  our  coldness 
and  neglect  of  duty;  and  if  we  did  not  exactly  deserve  it, 
there  have  been  times  when  we  did  deserve  it  If  we  did 
not  deserve  it  at  the  time,  it  was  good  for  and  gave  us  an 
experience,  though  I  must  say  that  one  of  the  hardest 
lessons  for  me  to  learn  on  earth  is  to  love  a  man  who 
hates  me  and  would  put  me  to  death  if  he  had  the  power 
I  do  not  think  I  have  got  this  lesson  by  heart,  and  I  do  not 
know  how  long  I  shall  have  to  live  to  learn  it.  I  am  trying 
1497. 

Those  who  turn  away  from  the  holy  commandments 
will  meet  trials  that  are  trials  indeed.  They  will  feel  the 
wrath  of  the  Almighty  upon  them.  Those  who  are  still  and 
are  good  children  will  receive  the  rich  blessing  of  their 
Father  and  God.  Be  still,  and  let  your  faith  rest  on  the 
Lord  Almighty.  7-136. 

Result  of  Persecution— Every  time  you  kick  "Mormon- 
ism"  you  kick 'it  upstairs,  you  never  kick  it  downstairs, 
The  Lord  Almighty  so  orders  it.  7.145 

Can  you  destroy  a  true  religion  by  persecuting  it?  No 
7  145. 

Joseph  could  not  have  been  perfected,  though  he  had 
lived  a  thousand  years,  if  he  had  received  no  persecution 
If  he  had  lived  a  thousand  years,  and  led  this  people,  and 
preached  the  Gospel  without  persecution,  he  would  not 
have  been  perfected  as  well  as  he  was  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine  years  f  You  may  calculate,  when  this  people  are  called 
to  go  through  scenes  of  affliction  and  suffering,  are  driven 
from  their  homes,  and  cast  down,  and  scattered,  and  smitten, 
and  peeled,  the  Almighty  is  rolling  on  his  work  with 
greater  rapidity.  2  -7. 

Well,  do  you  think  that  persecution  has  done  us  good  ? 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  539 

Yes  I  sit  and  laugh,  and  rejoice  exceedingly  when  I  see 
persecution  I  care  no  more  about  it  than  I  do  about  the 
whistling  of  the  north  wind,  the  croaking  of  the  crane  that 
flies  over  my  head,  or  the  crackling  of  the  thorns  under 
the  pot.  The  Lord  has  all  things  in  his  hand;  therefore  let 
it  come,  for  it  will  give  me  experience.  2  8 

Every  time  they  persecute  and  try  to  overcome  this 
people,  they  elevate  us,  weaken  their  own  hands,  and 
strengthen  the  hands  and  the  arms  of  this  people.  And 
every  time  they  undertake  to  lessen  our  number,  they 
increase  it.  And  when  they  try  to  destroy  the  faith  and 
virtue  of  this  people,  the  Lord  strengthens  the  feeble  knees, 
and  confirms  the  wavering  in  faith  and  power  in  God,  in 
light,  and  intelligence.  Righteousness  and  power  with  God 
increase  in  this  people  in  proportion  as  the  Devil  strug- 
gles to  destroy  it  8:225-6 

If  we  did  not  have  to  bear  the  iron  hand  of  persecution, 
the  principles  we  believe  in,  which  attract  the  attention  of 
the  good  and  the  evil  upon  the  earth  and  which  occupy  so 
many  tongues  and  circumscribe  their  philosophy,  would 
be  embraced  by  thousands  who  are  now  indifferent  to 
them.  The  evil-doer  would  crowd  upon  our  borders ;  and 
we  have  plenty  of  them  now  without  receiving  any  more 
They  would  crowd  into  this  Church.  18 :359. 

I  say  the  same  now.  Let  us  alone,  and  we  will  send 
Elders  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  and  gather  out 
Israel,  wherever  they  are ;  and  if  you1  persecute  us,  we  will 
do  it  the  quicker,  because  we  are  naturally  dull  when  let 
alone,  and  are  disposed  to,  take  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slum- 
ber, and  a  little  rest.  If  you  let  us  alone,  we  will  do  it  a 
little  more  leisurely;  .but  if  you;  persecute  us,  we  will  sit 
up  nights  to  preach  the  Gospel.  2  -320. 

Moses  was  not  to  blame  because  Pharaoh's  heart  became 


540  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

more  and  more  hard  He  was  not  to  blame  because  an 
overwhelming  destruction  came  upon  that  devoted  army 
Neither  is  God,  Jesus  Christ,  Joseph  Smith,  myself,  or  the 
Apostles  and  Prophets  of  this  last  dispensation  to  blame  for 
the  unbelief  of  this  nation,  and  for  the  dark  and  lowering 
tempest  that  now  threatens  to  overthrow  them  with  a  ter- 
rible destruction.  Still,  as  Pharaoh's  heart  became  harder 
and  harder,  so  will  it  be  with  the  persecutors  of  God's  peo- 
ple and  purposes  in  the  latter  times,  until  they  are  utterly 
destroyed.  10:4. 

Cannot  Overtake  Falsehood— We  have  been  asked  a 
good  many  times,  "Why  do  you  not  publish  the  truth  in 
regard  to  these  lies  which  are  circulated  about  you?"  We 
might  do  this  if  we  owned  all  the  papers  published  in 
Christendom  Who  will  publish  a  letter  from  me  or  my 
brethren ?  Who  will  publish  the  truth  from  us ?  If  it  gets 
into  one  paper,  it  is  slipped  under  the  counter  or  some- 
where else,  but  it  never  gets  into  a  second.  They  will  send 
forth  lies  concerning  us  very  readily.  The  old  adage  is 
that  a  he  will  cieep  through  the  keyhole  and  go  a  thousand 
miles  while  truth  is  getting  out  of  doors,  and  our  experi- 
ence has  proved  this  We  have  not  the  influence  and  power 
necessary  to  refute  the  falsehoods  circulated  about  us.  We 
depend  on  God,  who  sits  in  the  heavens.  Our  trust  is  in 
him  who  created  the  heavens,  who  formed  the  earth,  and 
who  has  brought  forth  his  children  on  the  earth,  and  who 
has  given  the  intelligence  which  they  possess.  13  177. 

If  I  now  had  in  my  possession  one  hundred  million  dol- 
lars in  cash,  I  could  buy  the  favor  of  the  publishers  of 
newspapers  and  control  their  presses;  with  that  amount  I 
could  make  this  people  popular,  though  I  expect  that 
popularity  would  send  us  to  hell  3*160 


TRIALS  AND  PERSECUTION  541 

Danger  of  Persecuting  'the  Saints— When  men  lift  their 
hands  against  the  Latter-day  Saints,  they  lift  them  against 
the  Almighty  11.119. 

He  who  lifts  his  heel  against  the  Lord  and  against  his 
anointed  will  find  himself  a  poor,  pusillanimous,  weak 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Devil  to  accomplish  his 
designs,  8  33. 

When  men  operate  against  this  people,  they  may  spend 
all  they  possess  and  all  their  ability,  and  it  will  pass  away 
like  an  empty  sound,  and  they  will  be  forgotten.  Such 
persons  have  always  come  to  naught,  and  all  who  fight 
against  the  people  of  the  Most  High  will  continue  to  come 
to  naught.  3 .259. 

Tell  the  world— sound  it  in  the  ears  of  kings  and  rulers, 
that  they  are  persecuting  a  people  to  whose  God  they  will 
have  to  pay  every  debt  they  contract;  they  will  be  brought 
into  judgment  for  every  act  against  this  Kingdom  This  is 
the  Kingdom  of  God;  these  are  the  people  of  God,  as  are 
all  who  receive  the  truth  and  follow  its  principles.  As  to 
parentage,  we  are  no  more  the  children  of  God  than  are  the 
rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  Originally,  as  to  our 
parents,  as  to  our  organization  and  that  which  pertains  to 
our  life,  we  are  all  the  children  of  one  Father,  whether  we 
be  Jew  or  Gentile,  bond  or  free,  black  or  white,  noble  or 
ignoble.  The  difference  we  see  arises  in  consequence  of 
the  different  use  made  of  the  agency  given  to  man.  8 :194-5, 

The  sufferings  that  have  com§  upon  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  through  persecution,  will  not  compare  in  severity 
with  the  sufferings  which  have  come  upon  the  wicked  in 
our  own  day.  11.274, 

Persecution  Comes  From  Efforts  of  Few— Now  to  tell 
the  truth,  there  are  but  few,  in  comparison  with  the  num- 


542  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

bers  that  now  live,  who  are  rabid  against  and  seek  to 
destroy  the  Kingdom  of  God.  A  great  portion  of  the  human 
family  are  honorable  men  and  women,  and  they  would 
just  as  soon  that  "Mormonism"  should  live  as  any  other 
ism.  The  few  who  seek  to  destroy  the  Kingdom  of  God 
are  priests,  politicians,  and  office  seekers,  and  they  would 
care  nothing  about  it,  only  they  are  afraid  we  will  take 
away  their  place  and  station.  11-323. 


CHAPTER   XXXI 
POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT 

Theocratic  Government — I  believe  in  a  true  republican 
theocracy,  and  also  in  a  true  democratic  theocracy,  as  the 
term  democratic  is  now  used;  for  they  are  to  me,  in  their 
present  use,  convertible  terms.  6:346. 

What  do  I  understand  by  a  theocratic  government '  One 
in  which  all  laws  are  enacted  and  executed  in  righteous- 
ness, and  whose  officers  possess  that  power  which  pro- 
ceedeth  from  the  Almighty.  That  is  the  kind  of  govern- 
ment I  allude  to  when  I  speak  of  a  theocratic  government, 
or  the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  earth.  It  is,  in  short,  the 
eternal  powers  of  the  Gods.  6 :346-7. 

If  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  a  theocratic  government, 
was  established  on  the  earth,  many  practices  now  prevalent 
would  be  abolished. 

One  community  would  not  be  permitted  to  array  itself 
in,  opposition  to  another  to  coerce  them  to  their  standard ; 
one  denomination  would  not  be  suffered  to  persecute  an- 
other because  they  differed  in  religious  belief  and  mode  of 
worship  Every  one  would  be  fully  protected  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  all  religious  and  social  rights,  and  no  state,  no 
government,  no  community,  no  person  would  have  the 
privilege  of  infringing  on  the  rights  of  another ;  one  Chris- 
tian community  would  not  rise  up  and  persecute  another. 
6:343. 

But  few,  if  any,  understand  what  a  theocratic  govern- 
ment is.  In  every  sense  of  the  word,  it  is  a  republican  gov- 
ernment, and  differs  but  little  in  form  from  our  National, 
$tate,  and  Territorial  Governments;  but  its  subjects  will 


544  DISCOURSES  OF  BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

recognize  the  will  and  dictation  of  the  Almighty  The 
Kingdom  of  God  circumscribes  and  comprehends  the  muni- 
cipal laws  for  the  people  in  their  outward  government,  to 
which  pertain  the  Gospel  covenants,  by  which  the  people 
can  be  saved;  and  those  covenants  pertain  to  fellowship 
and  faithfulness 

The  Gospel  covenants  are  foi  those  who  believe  and 
obey;  municipal  laws  are  for  both  Saint  and  sinner. 

The  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States  resemble 
a  theocracy  more  closely  than  any  government  now  on  the 
earth,  or  that  ever  has  been  so  far  as  we  know,  except  the 
government  of  the  Children  of  Israel  to  the  time  when  they 
elected  a  king. 

All  governments  are  more  or  less  under  the  control  of 
the  Almighty,  and,  in  their  forms,  have  sprung  from  the 
laws  that  he  has  from  time  to  time  given  to  man.  Those 
laws,  in  passing  from  generation  to  generation,  have  been 
more  or  less  adulterated,  and  the  result  has  been  the  various 
forms  of  government  now  in  force  among  the  nations ;  for, 
as  the  Prophet  says  of  Israel,  "They  have  transgressed  the 
laws,  changed  the  ordinances,  and  broken  the  everlasting 
covenant." 

Whoever  lives  to  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  fully  estab- 
lished upon  the  earth  will  see  a  government  that  will  pro- 
tect every  person  in  his  rights  If  that  government  was 
now  reigning  upon  this  land  of  Joseph,  you  would  see  the 
Roman  Catholic,  the  Greek  Catholic,  the  Episcopalian,  the 
Presbyterian,  the  Methodist,  the  Baptist,  the  Quaker,  the 
Shaker,  the  Hindoo,  the  Mahometan,  and  every  class  of 
worshipers  most  strictly  protected  in  all  their  municipal 
rights  and  in  the  privileges  of  worshiping  who,  what,  and 
when  they  pleased,  not  infringing  upon  the  rights  of  others. 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  545 

Does  any  candid  person  in  his  sound  judgment  desire  any 
greater  liberty?  6:342-343. 

In  the  sincere  observances  of  the  principles  of  true  relig- 
ion and  virtue,  we  recognize  the  base,  the  only  sure  founda- 
tion of  enlightened  society  and  well-established  government. 
2:178. 

I  have  had  some  people  ask  me  how  I  manage  and  con- 
trol the  people.  I  do  it  by  telling  them  the  truth,  and  letting 
them  do  just  as  they  have  a  mind  to.  14:162. 

Republican  Government — There  is  no  other  platform 
that  any  government  can  stand  upon  and  endure,  but  the  plat- 
form of  truth  and  virtue.  10:108. 

How  can  a  republican  government  stand?  There  is  only 
one  -way  for  it  ,to  stand.  It  can  endure;  but  how?  It  can 
endure,  as  the  government  of  heaven  endures,  upon  the  eter- 
nal rock  of  truth  and  virtue;  and  that  is  the  only  basis  upon 
which  any  government  can  endure.  9,4. 

What  is  a  true  republican  government  is  easily  answered. 
It  is  a  government  or  institution  that  is  perfect — perfect  in 
its  laws  and  ordinances,  having*  for  its  object  the  perfection 
of  mankind  in  righteousness.  This  is  true  democracy.  7:10. 

Individual  self-government  lies  at  the,  root  of  all  true  and 
effective  government,  whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth.  Those 
who  govern  should  be  wiser  and  better  than  the  governed, 
that  the  lesser  may  be  blessed  of  the  greater.  Were  this  so, 
then  the  people  would  willingly  repose  their  dearest  inter- 
ests to  the  trusts  of  their  rulers  or  leaders,  and  with  a  feeling 
of  pleasure  bow  to  and  carry  out  to  the  letter  their  instruc- 
tions and  conclusions  on  all  matters  that  pertained  to  the 
general  good.  This  will  apply  to  great  kingdoms  and  mighty 
nations,  to  small  companies  of  immigrants  crossing  the  plains, 
or  to  the  home  circle.  A  republican  government  in  the  hands 


546  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  a  wicked  people  must  terminate  in  woe  to  that  people,  but 
in  the  hands  of  the  righteous  it  is  everlasting1,  while  its  power 
reaches!  to  heaven.  10  19, 

Suppose  this  people  inhabiting  these  mountains  are  broken 
off  entirely  from  the  nations  of  the  world,  rendering  no 
allegiance  to  any  earthly  power  combined  or  isolated;  free  to 
make  laws,  to  obey  them,  or  to  break  them ;  free  to  act,  to 
choose,  and  to  refuse,  and,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  to  do 
as  they  please,  without  any  fixed  order  of  government  what- 
ever, and  they  make  a  constitution  a  system  of  government  for 
mutual  protection  and  advancement  in  the  principles  of  right, 
to  be  framed  according  to  the  best  wisdom  that  can  be  found 
in  this  community,— I  say,  let  them  govern  themselves  by  a 
republican  system  of  government,  selecting  a  man  from  their 
midst  to  preside  over  them.  7-11. 

A  true  system  of  civilization  will  not  encourage  the  exist- 
ence of  every  abomination  and  crime  in  a  community  but  will 
lead  them  to  observe  the  laws  Heaven  has  laid  down  for 
the  regulation  of  the  life  of  man.  There  is  no  other  civiliza- 
tion. A  truly  civilized  person  ,is  one  who  is  a  real  gentleman 
or  lady;  in  language  and  manners  he  is  truly  refined,  and 
gives  way  to  no  practice  that  is  unhallowed  or  uncomely  This 
is  what  we  are  after,  and  trying  to  attain  to,  12:287. 

I  believe  in  a  true  republican  government;  but  where  is 
the  man  capable  of  exhibiting  in  their  true  character  the  prin- 
ciples of  such  a  government?  7  10. 

The  man  who  fights  with  coolness  and  calculation  in  moral 
and  domestic  reform  will  win  every  time.  10.205 

God  and  Governments — Every  government  not  ordained 
of  God,  as  we  have  just  been  hearing,  will,  in  its  time,  crumble 
to  the  dust  and  be  lost  in  the  fog  of  forgetf ulness.  14  -93. 

If  your  eyes  were  opened,  you  would  see  his  hand  in  ths 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  547 

midst  of  the  nations  of  the  earth  in  the  setting  up  of  govern- 
ments and  in  the  down-fall  of  kingdoms— in  the  revolutions, 
wars,  famine,  distress,  and  wretchedness  among  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth.  In  these  manifestations  you  would  discern  the 
footsteps  o!  the  Almighty  just  as  plainly  as  you  may  see  the 
footsteps  of  your  children  upon  the  soft  earth.  7:144. 

Why  are  they  thus  led  to  sow  the  seeds  of  their  own 
destruction?  Because  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  not 
designed  to  stand.  When  men  are  placed  at  the  head  of  gov- 
ernment who  are  actually  controlled  by  the  power  of  God- 
by  the  Holy  Ghost— they  can  lay  plans,  they  can  frame  con- 
stitutions, they  can  form  governments  and  laws  that  have  not 
the  seeds  of  death  within  them,  and  no  other  men  can  do  it. 
4:267. 

In  the  laws  of  every  government  now  on  this  earth,  there 
are  certain  principles  in  their  constitutions  that  will  ere  long 
sap  the  foundations  of  their  existence;  and  so  it  will  be,  so  long 
as  men  continue  to  persist  in  ruling  and  making  laws,  in  regu- 
lating and  controlling  by  human  wisdom  alone,  and  in  issuing 
their  mandates  and  sending  their  officers  to  administer  laws, 
made  by  the  wisdom  of  man.  4:267. 

If  a  nation  transgresses  wholesome  laws  and  oppresses  any 
of  its  citizens  or  another  nation,  until  the  cup  of  its  iniquity 
is  full,  through  acts  that  are  perfectly  under  its  own  c6ntrol, 
God  will  hurl  those  who  are  in  authority  from  their  power, 
and  they  will  be  forgotten;  and  he  will  take  another  people, 
though  poor  an-i  despised,  a  hiss  and  a  by-word  among  the 
popular  nations,  and  instill  into  them  power  and  wisdom ;  and 
they  will  increase  and  prosper,  until  they  in  turn  become  a 
great  nation  on  the  earth.  6:146. 

Great  and  mighty  empires  are  raised  to  the  summit  of 
human  greatness  by  him,  to  bring:  to  pass  his  inscrutable  pur- 


548  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

poses,  and  at  his  pleasure  they  are  swept  from  existence  and 
lost  in  the  oblivion  of  antiquity  All  these  mighty  changes  are 
pointing  to  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  introduction  of  his 
Kingdom  in  the  latter  times,  that  will  stand  forever  and  glow 
in  greatness  and  power  until  a  holy,  lasting,  religious  and 
political  peace  shall  make  the  hearts  of  the  poor  among  men 
exult  with  joy  In  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  that  his  King- 
dom is  everywhere  triumphant  9 ,368. 

Fitness  of  Rulers— No  being  is  fit  to  rule,  govern,  and 
dictate,  until  he  has  been  controlled,  governed,  and  dictated  — 
has  yielded  obedience  to  law,  and  proved  himself  worthy,  by 
magnifying  the  law  that  was  over  him,  to  be  master  of  that 
law  8:324. 

What  is  the  reign  of  a  king  who  cannot  control  his  pas- 
sions? Will  not  his  subjects  sorrow  *  Yes,  they  will  feel  the 
weight  of  his  wrath,  and  their  backs  will  ache,  and  their  heads 
will  ache,  and  they  will  receive  the  lash  from  a  heavy  hand 
8:324. 

Labor  and  Politics — Put  a  community  in  possession  of 
knowledge  by  means  of  which  they  can  obtain  what  they  need 
by  the  labor  of  their  bodies  and  their  brains,  then,  instead  of 
being  paupers  they  will  be  free,  independent  and  happy,  and 
these  distinctions  of  classes  will  cease,  and  there  will  be  but 
one  class,  one  grade,  one  great  family,  16  20 

Do  you  wish  to  possess  enlarged  influence  in  a  political 
point  of  view7  Gather  around  you  the  poor  and  honest  of 
mankind  and  bestow  your  charity  on  them,  not  by  giving  them 
in  the  way  that  charity  is  almost  universally  understood,  but 
supply  them  labor  that  will  pay  an  interest  on.  the  outlay  of 
means  and,  at  the  same  time,  afford  food,  raiment  and  shelter 
to  the  laborer;  in  this  way  the  man  of  means  becomes  a  bene- 
factor'to  his  race.  10:193, 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  549 

If  you  wish  to  gain  power  in  the  minds  of  any  people, 
give  them  the  same  opportunity  that  you  possess  to  become 
independent  and  self-sustaining,  and  endow  them  with  all  the 
wisdom  and  knowledge  that  they  are  capable  of  receiving, 
and  let  them  increase  with  you  and  unitedly  grow  and  become 
strong.  10.190. 

Saints  and  Politics — I  stand  for  Constitutional  law,  and 
if  any  transgress,  let  them  be  tried  by  it,  and,  if  guilty,  suffer 
its  penalty.  10:109. 

I  say  God  speed  everybody  that  is  for  freedom  and  equal 
rights !  I  am  with  you  Whom  do  we  want  to  fill  our  public 
offices  ?  We  want  the  best  men  that  we  can  find  for  governor, 
president  and  statesmen,  and  for  every  other  office  of  trust 
and  responsibility;  and  when  we  have  obtained  them,  we 
will  pray  for  them  and  give  them  our  faith  and  influence  to 
do  the  will  of  God  and  to  preserve  themselves  and  the 
people  in  truth  and  righteousness.  13 :274. 

If  we  live  our  religion,  honor  our  God  and  his,  Priesthood, 
then  we  shall  honor  every  wholesome  government  and  law 
there  is  upon  the  earth  and  become  aliens  to  all  unrighteous, 
unjust  and  unlawful  administrators,  wherever  they  may  be 
found.  In  the  various  nations,  kingdoms  and  governments  of 
the  world  are  to  be  found  laws,  ordinances  and  statutes  as 
good  as  can  be  made  for  mortal  man.  10:41. 

Are  we  a  political  people?  Yes,  very  political  indeed.  But 
what  party  do  you  belong  to  or  would  you  vote  for ?  I  will 
tell  you  whom  we  will  vote  for :  we  will  vote  for  the  man  who 
will  sustain  the  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  the 
man  who  knows  the  most  and  who  has  the  best  heart  and  brain 
for  a  statesman;  and  we  do  not  care  a  farthing  whether  he  is  a 
whig,  a  democrat,  a  barnburner,  a  republican,  a  new  light  or 
anything  else.  These  are  our  politics.  13 :149. 


550  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

If  nobody  will  speak  for  us,  let  us  speak  for  ourselves;  if 
no  person  else  will  do  anything  for  us,  let  us  do  something 
for  ourselves.  This  is  right;  it  is  politically  right,  religiously 
right,  nationally  right,  socially  and  morally  right,  and  it  is 
right  in  every  sense  of  the  word  for  us  to  sustain  ourselves 
11:140. 

Let  those  called  Latter-day  Saints  so  learn  wisdom  as  to 
carry  out  the  true  principles  of  government,  that  they  may  be 
able  to  govern  and  control  all  things  wisely,  7.64 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  an  Inspired  Docu- 
ment—We mean  to  sustain  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  and  all  righteous  laws.  9.157, 

We  will  cling  to  the  Constitution  of  our  country,  and  to 
the  government  that  reveres  that  sacred  charter  of  freemen's 
rights,  and,  if  necessary,  pour  out  our  best  blood  for  the 
defense  of  every  good  and  righteous  principle  10  41. 

It  was  observed  this  morning  that  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  was  the  best  or  most  wholesome  one  on  the 
earth,  and  the  best  adapted  to  our  condition  That  is  very 
true  2:310. 

To  accuse  us  of  being  unfriendly  to  the  Government  is  to 
accuse  us  of  hostility  to  our  religion,  for  no  item  of  inspiration 
is  held  more  sacred  with  us  than  the  Constitution  under  which 
she  acts.  As  a  religious  society,  we,  in  common  with  all  other 
denominations,  claim  its  protection.  2.175. 

The  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  the 
framers  of  the  Constitution  were  inspired  from  on  high  to  do 
that  work  But  was  that  which  was  given  to  them  perfect,  not 
admitting  of  any  addition  whatever ?  No;  for  if  men  know 
anything,  they  must  know  that  the  Almighty  has  never  yet 
found  a  man  in  mortality  that  was  capable,  at  the  first  intima- 
tion, at  the  first  impulse,  to  receive  "anything  in  a  state  of 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  551 

entire  perfection.  They  laid  the  foundation,  and  it  was  for 
after  generations  to  rear  the  superstructure  upon  it  It  is  a 
progressive — a  gradual  work.  7:14. 

The  general  Constitution  of  our  country  is  good,  and  a 
wholesome  government  could  be  framed  upon  it,  for  it  was 
dictated  by  the* invisible  operations  of  the  Almighty;  he  moved 
upon  Columbus  to  launch  forth  upon  the  trackless  deep  to 
discover  the  American  Continent;  he  moved  upon  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence;  and  he  moved  upon  Wash- 
ington to  fight  and  conquer,  in  the  same  way  as  he  moved  upon 
ancient  and  modern  Prophets,  each  being  inspired  to  accom- 
plish the  particular  work  he  was  called  to  perform  in  the  times, 
seasons,  and  dispensations  of  the  Almighty.  God's  purpose,  in 
raising  up  these  men  and  inspiring  them  with  daring  sufficient 
to  surmount  every  opposing  power,  was  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  formation  of  a  true  republican  government.  They  laid  its 
foundation ;  but  when  others  came  to  build  upon  it  they  reared 
a  superstructure  far  short  of  their  privileges,  if  they  had  walked 
uprightly  as  they  should  have  done.  7:13, 

We  believe  that  the  Lord  has  been  preparing  that  when 
he  should  bring  forth  his  work,  that;j  when  the  set  time  should 
fully  come,  there  might  be  a  place  upon  his  footstool  where 
sufficient  liberty  of  conscience  should  exist,  that  his  Saints 
might  dwell  in  peace  under  the  broad  panoply  of  constitutional 
law  and  equal  rights.  In  this  view  we  consider  that  the  men 
in  the  Revolution  were  inspired  by  the  Almighty,  to  throw  off 
the  shackles  of  the  mother  government,  with  her  established 
religion  For  this  cause  were  Adams,  Jefferspn,  Franklin, 
Washington,  and  a  host  of  others  inspired  to  deeds  of  resist- 
ance to  the  acts  of  the  King  of  Great  Britain,  who  might  also 
have  been  led  to  those  aggressive  acts,  for  ought  we  know,  to 
bring  to  pass  the  purposes  of  God,  in  thus  establishing  a  new 


552  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

government  upon  a  principle  of  greater  freedom,  a  basis  of  self- 
government  allowing  the  free  exercise  of  religious  worship. 

It  was  the  voice  of  the  Lord  inspiring  all  those  worthy  men 
who  bore  influence  in  those  trying  times,  not  only  to  go  forth 
in  battle  but  to  exercise  wisdom  in  council,  fortitude,  courage, 
and  endurance  in  the  tented  field,  as  well  as  subsequently  to 
form  and  adopt  those  wise  and  efficient  measures  which  secured 
to  themselves  and  succeeding  generations,  the  blessing  of  a  free 
and  independent  government 

This  government,  so  formed,  has  been  blessed  by  the 
Almighty  until  she  spreads  her  sails  in  every  sea,  and  her 
power  is  felt  in  every  land  2  *170 

This,  then,  is  our  position  towards  the  Government  of  the 
United  States  and  towards  the  world,  to  put  down  iniquity, 
and  exalt  virtue ,  to  declare  the  word  of  God  which  he  revealed 
unto  us.  and  ibtuld  up  his  Kingdom  upon  the  earth,  And, 
know  all  men,  Governments,  Nations,  Kindreds,  Tongues,  and 
People,  that  this  is  our  calling,  intention,  and  design  We  aim 
to  live  our  religion,  and  have  communion  with  our  God  We 
aim  to  clear  our  skirts  of  the  blood  of  this  generation,  by  our 
faithfulness  m  preaching  the  truth  of  heaven  in  all  plainness 
and  simplicity ;  and  I  have  often  said,  and  repeat  it  now,  that 
all  other  considerations  of  whatever  name  or  nature,  sink  into 
insignificance  in  comparison  with  this.  To  serve  God  and 
keep  his  commandments,  are  first  and  foremost  with  me.  If 
this  is  higher  law,  so  be  it  As  it  is  with  me,  so  should  it  be 
with  every  department  of  the  Government;  for  this  doctrine 
is  based  upon  the  principles  of  virtue  and  integrity ;  with  it, 
the  Government,  her  Constitution,  and  free  institutions  are 
safe;  without  it  no  power  can  avert  their  speedy  destruction 
It  is  the  life  giving  power  to  the  Government;  it  is  the  vital 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  553 

element  on  which  she  exists  and  prospers;  in  its  absence  she 
sinks  to  rise  noi  more  2 :176. 

The  Saints  Will  Yet  Save  the  Constitution— When  the 
day  comes  in  which  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  bear  rule,  the 
flag  of  the  United  States  will  proudly  flutter  unsullied  on  the 
flag  staff  of  liberty  and  equal  rights,  without  a  spot  to  sully 
its  fair  surface;  the  glorious  flag  our  fathers  have  bequeathed 
to  us  will  then  ibe  unfurled  to  the  breeze  by  those  who  have 
power  to  hoist  it  aloft  and  defend  its  sanctity.  2:317. 

How  long  will  it  be  before  the  words  of  the  prophet  Joseph 
will  be  fulfilled  ?  He  said  if  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  were  saved  at  all  it  must  be  done  iby  this  people.  It 
will  not  be  many  years  before  these  words  come  to  pass.  12 :204. 

When  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  hangs,  as  it 
were,  upon  a  single  thread,  they  will  have  to  call  for  the  "Mor- 
mon" Elders  to  save  it  from  utter  destruction;  and  they  will 
step  forth  and  do  it  2:182. 

The  present  Constitution,  with  a  few  alterations  of  a  trif- 
ling nature,  is  just  as  good  as  we  want;  and  if  it  is  sustained 
on  this  land  of  Joseph,  it  -will  be  done  by  us  and  our  posterity. 
8:324. 

I  expect  to  see  the  day  when  the  Elders  of  Israel  will  pro- 
tect and  sustain  civil  and  religious  liberty  and  every  constitu- 
tional right  bequeathed  to  us  by  our  fathers,  and  spread  these 
rights  abroad  in  connection  with  the  Gospel  for  the  salvation 
of  all  nations.  I  shall  see  this  whether  I  live  or  die.  11 :262. 

Religious  Liberty  Should  be  Observed — The  Govern- 
ment o'f  the  United  States,  and  the  President  of  the  United 
States  ought  to  treat  the  religion  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  as 
they  do  Methodism,  Presbyterianism,,  Quakerism,  Shakerism, 
and  many  other  isms,  and  say,  "Here,  I  wish  you  to  hold  your 
tongues  about  the  'Mormons/  for  they  have  just  as  good  a 


554  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

right  to  their  religion  as  you  have  to  yours."  And  when  the 
people  petition  for  this  or  that  (as  the  right  of,  petition  should 
never  be  denied),  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  are  addressed  to 
hearken  to  the  petitions  of  the  people  2  186. 

Are  not  our  religious  sentiments  as  sacred  to  us  as  to  any 
other  portion  of  the  community?  And  should  it  not  be  the 
duty,  as  well  as  the  pride,  of  every  American  citizen  to  extend 
that  provision  of  the  Constitution  to  us  which  he  claims  for 
himself?  And  is  not  that  sacred  instrument  invaded  and  broken 
as  much  in  debarring  and  excluding  this  people  from  its  priv- 
ileges, rights,  and  blessings,  as  it  would  be  if  your  rights  and 
privileges  were  thus  invaded  ?  No,  gentlemen,  we  have  broken 
no  laws,  our  glorious  Constitution  guarantees  unto  us  all  that 
we  claim  Under  its  broad  folds,  in  its  obvious  meaning  and 
intents,  we  are  safe,  and  can  always  rejoice  in  peace.  All  that 
we  have  ever  claimed,  or  wish  to,  on  the  part  of  the  Govern- 
ment, is  the  just  administration  of  the  powers-  and  privileges 
of  the  National  Compact.  2-172.  •  ' 

I  pause  now  to  ask,  Had  not  Joseph  Smith  a  right  to  prom- 
ulgate and  establish  a  different,  a  new  religion  and  form  of 
worship  in  this  Government7  Every  one  must  admit  he  had. 
This  right  was  always  held  sacred,  for  upon  it  was  based  the 
religious  liberty  of  every  citizen  of  the  Republic.  It  was  a 
privilege  held  sacred  in  the  bosom  of  every  class  of  people ,  no 
judge  dared  invade  its  holy  precincts.  No  legislator  nor  gov- 
ernor ventured  to  obstruct;  the  free  exercise  thereof.  When- 
ever the  iron  hand  of  oppression  and  persecution  has  fallen 
upon  this  people,  our  opposers  have  broken  their  own  laws, 
set  at  defiance  and  trampled  under  foot  every  principle  of  equal 
rights,  justice,  and  liberty  found  written  in  that  rich  legacy  of 
our  fathers,  The  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  2:171. 

Whether  our  religion  is  believed  by  any  other  people  or 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  555 

not,  it  is  by  us,  and  no  power  or  authority  in  the  Government 
can  lawfully  or  righteously  molest  us  in  the  peaceable  and 
quiet  enjoyment  thereof.  It  cannot  be  done  without  law,  and 
surely  the  Government  has  no  right  to  make  any  law  con- 
cerning it,  or  to  prevent  the  free  exercise  thereof.  2.177. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  has  never  engaged 
in  a  crusade  against  us  as  a  people,  although  she  has  remained 
silent,  of  refused  us,  when  appealed  to  for  redress  of  griev- 
ances She  has  permitted  us  to  be  driven  from  our  own  lands, 
for  which  she  had  taken  our  money,  and  that  too  with  her 
letters  patent  in  our  hands,  guaranteeing  to  us  peaceable  pos- 
session, She  has  calmly1  looked  on  and  permitted  one  of  the 
fundamental  and  dearest  provisions  of  the  Constitution  to  be 
broken ,  she  has  permitted  us  to  be  driven  and  trampled  under 
foot  with  impunity  Under  these  circumstances,  what  course 
is  left  for  us  to  pursue  ?  I  answer  that,  instead  of  seeking  to 
destroy  the  very  best  Government  in  the  world,  as  seems  to  be 
the  fears  of  some,  we,  like  all  other  good  citizens,  should  seek 
to  place  those  men  in  power  who  will  feel  the  obligations  and 
responsibilities  they  are  under  to  a  mighty  people;  who  would 
feel  and  realize  the  important  trusts  reposed  in  them  by  the 
voice  of  the  people  who>  call  them  to  administer  law  under  the 
solemn  sanction  of  an  oath  of  fidelity  to  that  heaven  inspired 
instrument,  to  the  inviolate  preservation  of  which  we  look  for 
the  perpetuity  of  our  free  institutions.  2:175. 

Opposed  to  Corrupt  Administrators  of  Law— I  do  not 
lift  my  voice  against  the  great  and  glorious  Government  guar- 
anteed to  every  citizen  by  our  Constitution,  but  against  those 
corrupt  administrators  who  trample  the  Constitution  and  just 
laws  under  their  feet.  5 :232. 

It  is  a  pretty  bold!  stand  for  this  people  to  take,  to  say  that 
they  will  not  be  controlled  by  the  corrupt  administrators  of  our 


556  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

general  Government,  We  will  be  controlled  by  them,  if  they 
will  be  controlled  by  the  Constitution  and  laws ;  but  they  will 
not.  Many  of  them  do  not  care  any  more  about  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  laws  that  they  make  than  they  do  about  the  laws 
of  another  nation.  That  class  trample  the  rights  of  the  people 
under  their  feet,  while  there  are  many  who  would  like  to  honor 
them  All  we  have  ever  asked  for  is  our  Constitutional  rights. 
We  wish  the  laws  of  our  Government  honored,  and  we  have 
ever  honored  them;  but  they  are  trampled  under  foot  by 
administrators  5  23  L 

I  repeat  that  the  Constitution,  laws,  and  institutions  of 
our  Government  are  as  good  as  can  be,  with  the  intelligence  now 
possessed  by  the  people.  But  they,  as  also  the  laws  of  other 
nations,  are  too  often  administered  in  unrighteousness ;  and  we 
do  not  and  cannot  love  and  respect  the  acts  of  the  administrators 
of  our  laws,  unless  they  act  justly  in  their  offices.  6  344. 

The  President  of  the  United  States — As  I  have  already 
stated,  the  President  of  the  United  States  should  be  a  peifect 
pattern  for  all  the  people  to  walk  after,  so  also  should  the 
Vice-President,  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  and  of  Congress, 
the  Governors  of  States  and  Territories,  and  in  fine,  all  the 
officers  in  the  Government,  be  patterns  for  the  people  to 
imitate.  2  183. 

And  the  people  should  concentrate  their  feelings,  their  influ- 
ence, and  their  faith  to  select  the  best  man-  they  cam  find  to  be 
their  President,  if  he  has  nothing  more  to  eat  than  potatoes  and 
salt— a  man  who  will  not  aspire  to  become  greater  than  the 
people  who  appoint  him,  but  be  contented  to  live  as  they  live, 
be  clothed  as  they  are  clothed,  and  in  every  good  thing  be  one 
with  them.  7:12-13. 

When  the  best  man  is  elected  President,  let  him  select  the 
best  men  he  can  find  for  his  counselors  or  cabinet;  and  let  all 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  557 

the  officers  within  the  province  of  the  Chief  Magistrate  to 
appoint,  be  selected  upon  the  same  principle  to  officiate 
wisely  in  different  parts  of  the  nation,  6:345, 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  is  republican  in  form, 
and  should  be  in  its  administration,  and  requires  a  man  for 
President  who  is  capable  of  communicating  to  the  understand- 
ing of  the  people,  according  to  their  capacity,  information  upon 
all  points  pertaining  to  the  just  administration  of  the  Govern- 
ment, He  should  understand  what  administrative  policy  would 
be  most  beneficial  to  the  nation.  He  should  also  have  the 
knowledge  and  disposition  to  wisely  exercise  the  appointing 
power,  so  far  as  jit  is  constitutionally  within  his  control,  and 
select  only  good  and  capable  men  for  the  office.  He  should 
not  only  carry  out  the  legal  and  just  wishes  of  his  constituents, 
but  should  be  able  to  enlighten  their  understanding  and  correct 
their  judgment  And  all  good  officers  in  a  truly  republican 
administration  will  constantly  labor  for  the  security  of  the 
rights  of  all,  irrespective  of  sect  or  party.  7 :63. 

In  the  free  and  independent  Government  of  the  United 
States,  who  in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty  ought  to  have  the  priv- 
ilege of  sitting  in  the  Presidential  chair,  to  be  countenanced, 
adored,  loved,  and  reverenced  in  his  capacity,  and  be  justified 
therein  by  the  heavenly  hosts?  It  is  that  juan  who  is  sanctified 
before  God,  and  who  loves  the  Lord  Jesus  with  all  his  heart, 
or  in  other  words,  who  is  endowed  with  wisdom  from  on  high, 
and  has  revelations,  visions,  and  dreams,  giving  him  under- 
standing to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  every  portion  of  the 
nation,  and  a  willingness  to  preserve  to  every  one  their  fair 
and  just  religious  rights,  as  well  as  political,  for  the  good  and 
benefit  of  all  In  the  eyes  of  eternal  justice,  only  such  a  man 
has  a  right  to  that  office.  They  are  afraid  to  put  a  man  there 
who  is  a  professor  of  religion,  lest  he  favor  his  own,  party.  A 


558  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

man  is  a  fool  that  would  do  that,  when  he  has  laws  to  preserve 
and  keep  inviolate  towards  all  religious  denominations. 
2:188489 

In  our  Government  a  President  is  elected  for  four  years, 
and  by  custom  re-elected  but  once,  thus  limiting  the  time  of 
any  one  person  to  but  eight  years  at  most.  Would  it  not  be 
better  to  extend  that  period  during  life  or  good  behavior ;  and 
when  the  people  have  elected  the  best  man  to  that  office,  con- 
tinue him,  in  it  as  long  as  he  will  serve  them? 

Would  it  not  bd  better  for  the  States  to  elect  their  Gov- 
ernors upon  the  same  principle ,  and  if  they  officiate  unjustly, 
hurl  them  from  off  ice ?  If  a  good  man  is  thus  elected  and 
continues  to  do  his  duty,  he  will  keep  in  advance  of  the  people ; 
and  if  he  does  not,  he  does  not  magnify  his  office.  Such  is 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  in  comparison.  6-345. 

Is  a  man  fit  to  be  President  of  the  United  States,  who  will 
bow  and  succumb  to  the  whims  of  the  people?  No  A  Presi- 
dent should  learn  the  true  situation  of  his  constituents,  and  deal 
out  even-handed  justice  to  all,  utterly  regardless  of  the  clamor 
of  party.  5:126. 

We  want  men  to  rule  the  nation  who  care  more  for  and  love 
better  the  nations'  welfare  than  gold  and  silver,  fame,  or 
popularity.  7  '12. 

Who  is  the  most  suitable  judge  between  man  and  man? 
The  man  who  is  the  most  capable  of  judging  between  right  and 
wrong,  let  him  sit  upon  the  judgment  seat,  and  do  not  ask  him 
whether  he  is  a  Democrat,  a  Whig,  a  Tory,  or  a  Republican 
Is  he  a  just  man,  and  will  he  render  an  impartial  judgment? 
If  so,  I  care  not  to  what  political  party  he  belongs ,  I  am  con- 
tent that  he  should  adjudicate  between  me  and  my  neighbor. 
10193 

Political  Parties — It  has  been  told  me  from  my  youth  up 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  559 

that  opposition  is  the  life  of  business,  especially  in  the  political 
arena.  It  is  opposition  that  has  ruined  our  nation,  and  has 
been,  is  and  will  be  the  ruin  of  all  nations.  10-190. 

When  the  people's  affections  are  interwoven  with  a  repub- 
lican government  administered  in  all  its  purity,  if  the  adminis- 
trators act  not  in  virtue  and  truth  it  is  but  natural  that  the 
people  become  disaffected  with  mal-administration,  and  divide 
and  sub-divide  into  parties,  until  the  body  politic  is  shivered  to 
pieces.  10:108. 

Parties  in  our  Government  have  no  better  idea  than  to  think 
the  Republic  stands  all  the  firmer  upon  opposition;  but  I  say 
that  it  is  not  so.  A  republican  government  consists  in  letting 
the  people  rule  by  their  united  voice,  without  a  dissension,— 
in  learning  what  is  for  the  best,  and  unitedly  doing  it  That 
is  true  republicanism.  5  228. 

States'  Rights — Suppose  there  is  a  division  between  the 
North  and  South,  and  the  fifteen  slave  States  try  to  form  a 
permanent  government,  can  they  do  it ?  I  tell  you  they  cannot. 
How  long  will  it  be  before  some  other  States,  perhaps  New 
York,  forms  a  separate  government  *  And  if  a  State  has  a 
right  to  secede,  so  has  a  Territory,  and  so  has  a  county  from  a 
State  or  Territory,  and  a  town  from  ai  county,  and  a  family 
from  a  neighborhood,  and  you  will  have  perfect  anarchy.  8.322. 

If  we  are  what  we  profess  to  be— a  republican  Govern- 
ment, there  is  no  State  in  the  Union  "but  what  should  be  amen- 
able to  the  general  Government  holding  to  the  old  English 
rights  in  Rhode  Island.  Then  Congress,  with  the  President  at 
their  head,  could  meet  and  veto  every  act  made  by  any  depart- 
ment of  the  Government,  if  it  was  necessary.  So  let  Congress 
come  together  when  any  of  the  States  transcend  the  bounds  cf 
right  and  hold  them  amenable  for  their  actions.  The  general 
Government  should  never  give  any  portion  of  the  nation  license 


560  PISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  say  they  are  free  and  independent  This  should  only  apply 
to  the  nation  as  a  whole  7.13 

So  it  is  with  States  and  Territories  Let  them  be  unduly 
fostered  and  sustained  by  the  general  Government,  and  it  will 
lead  them  into  idleness,  inactivity,  and  corruption;  they  will 
not  be  as  spirited  and  active  as  when  they  are  made  to  rely 
upon  their  own  resources.  2  321. 

Forebodings  of  the  Civil  War— The  nation  that  gave  me 
and  many  of  you  birth  is  very  nigh  to  the  hours  of  sorrow. 
Their  cup  is  very  nigh  filled  to  the  brim.  They  reject  the 
servants  of  God,  they  reject  the  Gospel  of  salvation;  they  turn 
away  from  the  principles  of  truth  and  righteousness ;  and  they 
are  sinking  in  their  own  sins  and  corruptions  I  would  that 
they  would  have  mercy  on  themselves  I  will  pray  the  Lord 
to  have  mercy  on  them,  but  I  pray  them  to  have  mercy  on 
themselves  to  return  to  the  Lord,  forsake  their  wickedness  and 
learn  righteousness,  and  then  God  would  have  mercy  on  them, 
and  bestow  his  blessings  upon  them,  if  they  would  receive  them 
4371 

What  will  be  their  condition  when  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
is  withdrawn ?  They  will  whet  the  knife  to  cut  each  other's 
throats,  and  as  Brother  Hooper  remarked,  try  to  make  Mason 
and  Dixon's  the  dividing  line,  but  that  will  not  remain,  for 
they  will  cross  it  to  destroy  each  other,  and  the  sword  and  fire 
will  be  prevalent  in  the  land.  8  147-8 

Yes,  his  mercy  yearns  over  the  Nation  that  has  striven  for 
a  score  of  years  to  rid  the  earth  of  the  Priesthood  of  the  Son 
of  God  and  to  destroy  the  last  Saint  He  has  mercy  upon 
them,  he  bears  with  them,  he  pleads  with  them  by  his  Spirit, 
and  occasionally  sends  his  angels  to  administer  to  them.  Marvel 
not,  then,  that  I  pray  for  every  soul  that  can  be  saved.  8  124 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  561 

War— If  I  had  my  wish,  I  should  entirely  stop  the  shed- 
ding of  human  blood.  10.108. 

There  is  a  spirit  which  prompts  the  nations  to  prepare  for 
war,  desolation,  and  bloodshed — to  waste  each  other  away 
8  174. 

From  the  authority  of  all  history,  the  deadly  weapons  now 
stored  up  and  being  manufactured  will  be  used  until  the  people 
are  wasted  away,  and  there  is  no  help  for  it  The  spirit  of 
revolution  goes  on  through  the  nations:  it  never  goes  back 
8:157. 

Do  not  be  discouraged  when  you  hear  of  wars,  and  rumors 
of  wars,  and  tumults,  and  contentions,  and  fighting,  and  blood- 
shed; for  behold  they  are  at  the  thresholds  of  our  doors.  4-369 

Does  one  nation  rise  up  to  war  with  another  without  having 
motives,  and  those  which  they  will  substantiate  as  being  good 
and  sufficient  Will  one  people  rise  up  to  war  with  another 
people,  except  the  motive  that  moves  them  is  of  a  nature  to 
justify  them  in  their  own  minds  and  judgment  for  doing  so? 
No  There  is  not  a  people  upon  the  face  of  this  earth  that 
would  do  so ;  they  all  calculate  to  do  that  which  seemeth  good 
to  them.  3  88. 

The  difficulty  with  the  whole  world  in  their  divisions  and 
sub-divisions,  is  that  they  have  no  more  confidence  in  each 
other  than  they  have  in  their  God,  and  that  is  none  at  all,  no, 
not  one  particle  This  confuses  nations,  and  breaks  them  up , 
it  weakens  them,  and  they  tumble  to  pieces,  It  disturbs  cities 
and  countries,  and  really  the  seeds  of  destruction  are  within 
those  kingdoms  where  the  people  have  not  confidence  m  each 
other.  4  296. 

Wars,  commotions,  tumults,  strife,  nation  contending 
against  nation,  and  people  against  people,  have  all  been  gov- 


562  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

erned  and  controlled  by  him  whose  right  it  is  to  control  such 
matters. 

Among  wicked  nations,  or  among  Saints,  among  the  ancient 
Israelites,  Philistines,  and  Romans,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
felt;  in  short,  all  the  powers  that  have  been  upon  the  earth, 
have  been  dictated,  governed,  controlled,  and  the  final  issue  of 
their  existence  has  been  brought  to  pass,  according  to  the  wis- 
dom of  the  Almighty  Then  my  testimony  is,  it  is  all  right 
1  163 

Of  one  thing  I  am  sure;  God  never  institutes  war;  God 
is  not  the  author  of  confusion  or  of  war;  they  are  the  results 
of  the  acts  of  the  children  of  men  Confusion  and  war  neces- 
sarily come  as  the  results  of  the  foolish  acts  and  policy  of  men ; 
but  they  do  not  come  because  God  desires  they  should  come 
If  the  people,  generally,  would  turn  to  the  Lord,  there  would 
never  be  any  war.  Let  men  turn  from  their  iniquities  and  sins, 
and,  instead  of  being1  covetous  and  wicked,  turn  to  God  and 
seek  to  promote  peace  and  happiness  throughout  the  land,  and 
wars  would  cease.  We  expect  to  see  the  day  when  swords 
shall  be  turned  into  ploughshares,  spears  into  pruning  hooks, 
and  when  men  shall  learn  war  no  more.  This  is  what  we  want. 
We  are  for  peace,  plenty  and  happiness  to  all  the  human  family. 
13.149 

Our  traditions  have  been  such  that  we  are  not  apt  to  look 
upon  war  between  two  nations  as  murder;  but  suppose  that 
one  family  should  rise  up  against  another  and  begin  to  slay 
them,  would  they  not  be  taken  up  and  tried  for  murder?  Then 
why  not  nations  that  rise  up  and  slay  each  other  in  a  scientific 
way  be  equally  guilty  of  murder ?  "But  observe  the  martial 
array,  how  splendid1  See  the  furious  war  horses,  with  their 
glittering  trappings.  Then  the;  honor  and  glory  and  pride  of 
the  reigning  king  must  be  sustained,  and  the  strength  and  power 


POLITICAL  GOVERNMENT  563 

and  wealth  of  the  nation  must  be  displayed  in  some  way ;  and 
what  better  way  than  to  make  war  upon  neighboring  nations, 
under  some  slight  pretext?"  Does  it  justify  the  slaying  of 
men,  women,  and  children  that  otherwise  would  have  remained 
at  home  in  peace,  because  a  great  army  is  doing  the  work?  No : 
the  guilty,  will  be  damned  for  it.  7 :137. 

The  very  Indians  who  massacre  men,  women,  and  children 
on  the  plains,  have  their  religious  ceremonies  and  pray  to  their 
God  for  success  in  killing  men,  women,  and  children.  The 
French  and  Austrians  meet  and  slay  one  another  by  hundreds 
and  thousands ;  and  thousands  of  women  and  children  who  were 
not  engaged  in  battle  are  also  sacrificed  by  the  folly  of  those 
Christian  wars.  The  instigators  of  those  wars  are  just  as 
guilty  of  murder,  before  God,  as  the  Indians  are  for  killing  the 
men,  women,  and  children  who  afe  passing  through  their 
country.  What  is  the  difference  in  the  eyes  of  our  Father  and 
God  ?  It  is  just  as  much  murder  to  kill,  unjustly,  a  million  at 
a  Wow  as  it  is  to  kill  one,  though  Dr.  Young  has  stated  that 
"One  murder  makes  a  villain ;  millions  make  a  hero,"  Were  I 
to  make  war  upon  an  innocent  people,  because  I  had  the  power, 
to  possess  myself  of  their  territory,  their  silver,  gold,  and  other 
property,  and  be  the  cause  of  slaying,  say  fifty  thousand  strong, 
hale,  hearty  men,  and  devolving  consequent  suffering  upon 
one  hundred  thousand  women  and  children,  who  would  suffer 
through  privation  and  want,  I  am  very  much  more  guilty  of 
murder  than  is  the  man  who  kills  only  one  person  to  obtain  his 
pocket-book.  7:137. 

Woman  Suffrage — Now,  sisters,  I  want  you  to  vote  also, 
because  women  are  the  characters  that  rule  the  ballot  box. 
1:218. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 
DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION 

The  Body  Must  Return  to  Mother  Earth—Every  person 
possessing  the  principle  of  eternal  life  should  look  upon  his 
body  as  of  the  earth  earthy  Our  bodies  must  return  to  their 
mother  earth.  True,  to  most  people  it  is  a  wretched  thought 
that  our  spirits  must,  for  a,  longer  or  shorter  period,  be  sep- 
arated from  our  bodies,  and  thousands  and  millions  have  been 
subject  to  this  affliction  throughout  .their  Jives  If  they  under- 
stood the  design  of  this  probation  and  the  true  principles  of 
eternal  life,  it  is  but  a  small  matter  for  the  body  toi  suffer  and 
die.  7-240. 

The  Lord,  has  pleased  to  organize  tabernacles  here,  and  put 
spirits  into  them,  and  they  then  become  intelligent  beings.  By 
and  by,  sooner  or  later,  the  body,  this  that  is  tangible  to  you, 
that  you  can  feel,  see,  handle,  etc ,  returns  to  its  mother  dust. 
Is  the  spirit  dead?  No.  You  believe  the  spirit  still  exists, 
when  this  body  has  crumbled  to  the  earth  again,  and  the  spirit 
that  God  puts  into  the  tabernacle  goes  into  the  world  of  spirits. 
What  is  their  situation?  Is  there  any 'opportunity  for  them 
whatever?  Yes,  there  is.  2:138. 

"Well,"  says  Mr.  B. :  "If  you  have  got  this  great  power,  and 
can  heal  the  sick  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  come  with  me  and 
heal  the  sick  in  our  neighborhood :  or  how  is  it  that  any  of  you 
'Mormons'  die  at  all?"  Take  your  time,  Mr.  B.  The  Bible 
teaches  me  I  am  dust,  and  to  dust  I  must  return.  It  is  not  for 
me  to  thwart  the  plans  of  Jehovah,  or  do  away  with  any  item 
of  doctrine  the  Lord  has  taught  me.  From  dust  I  am,  and  to 
dust  I  must  return.  So  it  is  with  the  rest  of  us,  we  shall  all  die 
and  be  buried  in  the  silent  grave.  1 :240. 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  565 

We  shall  suffer  no  more  in  putting  off  this  flesh  and  leaving 
the  spirit  houseless  than  the  child,  in  its  capacity,  does  in  its 
first  efforts  to  breathe  the  breath  of  this  mortal  life  8.28. 

Our  bodies  are  composed  of  visible,  tangible  matter,  as  you 
all  understand;  you  also  know  that  they  are  born  into  this 
world.  They  then  begin  to  partake  of  the  elements  adapted 
to  their  organization  and  growth,  increase  to  manhood,  become 
old,  decay,  and  pass  again  into  the  dust.  Now  in  the  first  place, 
though  I  have  explained  this  many  times,  what  we  call  death 
is  the  operation  of  life,  inherent  in  the  matter  of  which  the 
body  is  composed,  and  which  causes  the  decomposition  after 
the  spirit  has  left  the  body  Were  that  not  the  fact,  the  body, 
from  which  has  fled  the  spirit,  would  remain  to  all  eternity, 
just  as  it  was  when  the  spirit  left  it,  and  would  not  decay. 

What  is  commonly  called  death  does  not  destroy  the  body, 
it  only  causes  a  separation  of  spirit  and  body,  but  the  principle 
of  life,  inherent  in  the  native  elements,  of  which  the  body  is 
composed,  still  continues  with  the  particles  of  that  body  and 
causes  it  to  decay,  to  dissolve  itself  into  the  elements  of  which 
it  was  composed,  and  all  of  which  continues  to  have  life  When 
the  spirit  given  to  man  leaves  the  body,  the  tabernacle  begins 
to  decompose  Is  that  death?  No,  death  only  separates  the 
spirit  and  body,  and  a  principle  of  life  still  operates  in  the 
untenanted  tabernacle,  but  in  a  different  way,  and  producing 
different  effects  from  those  observed  while  it  was  tenanted  by 
the  spirit.  There  is  not  a  particle  of  element  which  is  not  filled 
with  life,  and  all  space  is  filled  with  element ;  there  is  'no  such 
thing  as  empty  space,  though  some  philosophers  contend  that 
there  is. 

Life  in  various  proportions,  combinations,  conditions,  etc , 
fills  all  matter.  Is  there  life  in  a  tree  when  it  ceases  to  put 
forth  leaves?  You  see  it  standing  upright,  and  when  it  ceases 


566  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  bear  leaves  and  fruit  you  say  it  is  dead,  but  that  isl  a  mis- 
take. It  still  has  life,  but  that  life  opeiates  upon  the  tree  in 
another  way,  and  continues  to  operate  until  it  resolves  it  to  the 
native  elements  It  is  life  m  another  condition  that  begins  to 
operate  upon  man,  upon  animal,  upon  vegetation,  and  upon 
minerals  when  we  see  the  change  termed  dissolution.  There  is 
life  m  the  material  of  the  fleshly  tabernacle,  independent  of  the 
spirit  given  of  God  to  undergo  this  probation  There  is  life 
in  all  matter,  throughout  the  vast  extent  of  all  the  eternities, 
it  is  m  the  rock,  the  sand,  the  dust,  m  water,  air,  the  gases,  and 
in  short,  in  every  description  and  organization  of  matter, 
whether  it  be  solid,  liquid,  or  gaseous,  particle  operating  with 
particle. 

I  have  heard  some  philosophers  argue  that  because  no  body 
could  move  without  displacing  other  matter,  therefore  there 
must  be  empty  space.  That  reasoning  is  nonsense  to  me, 
because  eternity  is,  was,  and  will  continue  to  be  full  of  matter 
and  life  We  put  a  ship  in  motion  on  the  water,  and  have  we 
created  an  empty  space ?  No,  we  have  only  changed  the  position 
of  matter  Men  and  animals  move  upon  the  earth,  birds  and 
fishes  cleave  the  elements  they  are  organized  to  operate  in,  but 
do  they  leave  a  track  of  empty  space?  No,  for  all  eternity  is 
full  of  matter  and  life.  True,  element  is  capable  of  contraction 
and  expansion,  but  that  does  not  -by  any  means  imply  empty 
space  You  see  life  in  human  beings  and  in  the  growing  vege- 
tation, and  when  that  spirit  of  life  departs,  another  condition 
of  life  at  once  begins  to  operate  upon  the  organization  which 
remains.  By  way  of  illustration  I  will  quote  one  passage  from 
the  Book  of  Job,  who  m  his  afflictions  was  visited  by  several 
friends,  and  after  he  had  concluded  that  they  were  all  miserable 
comforters,  he  exclaimed,  "Though  worms  destroy  this  body, 
yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God."  To  make  this  passage  clearer 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION"  567 

to  your  comprehension,  I  will  paraphrase  it,  Though  my  spirit 
leave  my  body,  and  though  worms  destroy  its  present  organ- 
ization, yet  in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  I  shall  behold 
the  face  of  my  Savior,  in  this  same  tabernacle;  that  is  my 
understanding  of  the  idea  so  briefly  expressed  by  Job.  3 .276-7 

Man  Should  Live  Out  His  Days— It  is  not  the  design 
of  the  Father  that  the  earthly  career  of  any  should  terminate 
until  they  have  lived  out  their  days ,  and  the  reason  that  so  few 
do  live  out  their  days  is  because  of  the  force  of  sin  in  the  world 
and  the  power  of  death  over  the  human  family  To  these 
causes,  and  not  to  the  design  of  the  Creator,  may  be  attributed 
the  fact  that  disease  stalks  abroad,  laying  low  the  aged,  middle- 
aged,  youth,  and  infants,  and  the  human  family  generally  by 
millions  14  230. 

So  live  that  when  you  wake  in  the  spirit-world  you  can 
truthfully  say,  "I  could  not  better  my  mortal  life,  were  I  to 
live  it  over  again."  I  exhort  you,  for  the  sake  of  the  House  of 
Israel,  for  the  sake  of  Zion  which  we  are  to  build  up,  to  so  live, 
from  this  time,  henceforth,  and  forever,  that  your  characters 
may  with  pleasure  be  scrutinized  by  holy  beings.  Live  godly 
lives,  which  you  cannot  do  without  living  moral  lives  8 '164* 

We  Should  Not  Mourn  for  the  Righteous  Dead— Those 
who  have  honored  their  calling  and  Priesthood  to  the  end  die 
in  the  Lord,  and  their  works  do  follow  them.  13 .75. 

It  is  a  great  cause  of  joy  and  rejoicing  and  comfort  to  his 
friends  to  know  that  a  person  has  passed  away  in  peace  from 
this  life,  and  has  secured  to  himself  a  glorious  resurrection. 
The  earth  and  the  fulness  of  the  earth  and  all  that  pertains  to 
this  earth  in  an  earthly  capacity  is  no  comparison  with  the 
glory,  joy  and  peace  and  happiness  of  the  soul  that  departs  in 
peace.  12:186. 

Mourning  for  the  righteous  dead  springs  from  the  ignorance 


568  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

and  weakness  that  are  planted  within  the  mortal  tabernacle,  the 
organization  of  this  house  for  the  spirit  to  dwell  in,  No  matter 
what  pain  we  suffer,  no  matter  what  we  pass  through,  we  cling 
to  our  mother  earth,  and  dislike  to  have  any  of  her  children 
leave  us  We  love  to  keep  together  the  social  family  relation 
that  we  bear  one  to  another,  and  do  not  like  to  part  with  each 
other,  but  could  we  have  knowledge  and  see  into  eternity,  if 
we  were  perfectly  free  from  the  weakness,  blindness,  and 
lethargy  with  which  we  are  clothed  in  the  flesh,  we  should  have 
no  disposition  to  weep  or  mourn.  4*131. 

Nothing  remains  here  for  us  but  to  pay  our  last  respects  to 
that  which  came  from  mother  earth.  It  was  formed  and  fash- 
ioned and  the  spirit  was  put  into  it,  and  it  has  grown  and 
become  what  it  is,  and  the  spirit  having  departed,  the  body  lies 
ready  to  return  to  the  bosom  of  its  mother,  there  to  rest  until 
the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  But  the  life  and  intelligence 
which  once  dwelt  in  that  body  still  live,  and  Sister  Aureha 
moves,  talks,  walks,  enjoys  and  beholds  that  which  we  cannot 
enjoy  and  behold  while  we  are  in  these  tabernacles  of  clay 
She  is  in  glory ,  she  has  passed  'the  ordeals  and  has  reached  a 
position  in  which  the  power  of  Satan  has  no  influence  upon 
her.  The  advantage  of  this  Priesthood  is  that  when  persons 
yield  obedience  to  it,  they  secure  to  themselves  the  sanction  of 
him  who  is  its  author,  and  who  has  bestowed  it  upon  the  chil- 
dren of  men.  His  power  is  around  them  and  defends  them , 
and  when  they  pass  into  the  spirit  world  they  are  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  power  of  Satanv  Where  the  pure  in  heart  are  the 
wicked  cannot  come.  This  is  the  state  of  the  spirit  world, 
14-229. 

When  death  is  past,  the  power  of  Satan  has  no  more  influ- 
ence over  a  faithful  individual,  that  spirit  is  free,  and  can 
command  the  power  of  Satan  '  The  penalty  demanded  by  the 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  569 

fall  has  been  fully  paid ;  all  is  accomplished  pertamtaing  to  it, 
when  the  tabernacle  of  a  faithful  person  'is  returned  to  the 
earth.  All  that  was  lost  is  passed  away,  and  that  person  will 
again  receive  his  "body.  When  he  is  in  the  spirit  world,  he  is 
free  from  those  contaminating  and  condemning  influences  of 
Satan  that  we  are  now  subject  to.  Here  our  todies  are  subject 
to  being  killed  by  our  enemies—our  names  to  being  cast  out 
as  evil.  We  are  persecuted,  hated,  not  beloved ;  though  I  pre- 
sume that  we  are  as  much  beloved  here  as  the  spirits  of  the 
Saints  are  in  the  spirit  world  by  those  spirits  'who  hate  right- 
eousness. It  is  the  same  warfare,  but  we  will  have  power 
over  them  Those  'who  have  passed  through  the  veil  have 
power  over  the  evil  spirits  to  command,  and  they  must  obey. 
7:240-241. 

Shall  we  rejoice  that  we  have  the  opportunity  of  paying 
the  last  respects  due  to-this  lifeless  clay,  which  a  few  days  ago 
was  alive  and  active,  full  of  spirit,  attending  the  High  Council, 
giving  decisions  full  of  knowledge?  Yes,  we  will 'rejoice.  It 
is  a  matter  of  rejoicing  more  than  the  day  of  his  birth.  It  is 
true  it  is  grievous  to  part  with  our  friends.  We  are  creatures 
of  passion,  of  sympathy,  of  love,  and  it  is  painful  for  us  to 
part  with  our  friends  We  would  keep  them  in  the  mortal 
house,  though  they  should  suffer  pain  Are  we  not  selfish  in 
this?  Should  we  not  rather  rejoice  at  the  departure  of  those 
whose  lives  have  been  devoted  to  doing  good,  to  a  good  old 
age?  Brother  Spencer  has  lived  beyond  what  is  counted  to  be 
the  common  age  of  man  some  four  or  five  years;  his  judgment 
was  as  active  as  it  was  twenty-five  years  ago.  He  has  been 
faithful  in  this  holy  war  He  instructed  all  with  whom  he 
met  in  the  way  of  life.  He  never  gave  counsel  but  what  marked 
the  way  to  life  everlasting.  13 :75. 

Our  Identity  Will  Be  Preserved— And  the  thought  of 


570  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHXM  YOUNG 

being  annihilated — of  being1  blotted  out  of  existence— is  most 
horrid,  even  to  that  class  called  infidels.  5  *53. 

This  intelligence  must  endure  We  must  preserve  our 
identity  before  the  Lord,  who  has  sent  his  Son  and  angels, 
and  is  sending  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  his  ministers,  and  icvela- 
tions,  to  comfort,  cheer,  guide,  and  direct  the  affairs  of  his 
Kingdom  on  the  earth.  8*155. 

I  am  after  life,  I  want  to  preserve  my  identity,  so  that  you 
can  see  Brigham  in  die  eternal  worlds  just  as  you  see  him  now 
I  want  to  see  that  eternal  principle  of  life  dwelling  within  us 
which  will  exalt  us  eternally  in  the  presence  of  our  Father  and 
God.  757. 

The  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  reveals  to  each  individual 
who  receives  it  that  this  world  is  only  a  place  o£  temporary 
duration,  existence,  trials,  etc.  Its  present  fashion  and  uses 
are  but  for  a  few  days,  while  we  were  created  to  exist  eternally 
The  wicked  can  see  no  further  than  this  world  is  concerned 
We  understand  that  when  we  are  unclothed  in  this  present  state, 
then  we  are  prepared  to  be  clothed  upon  with  immortality — 
that  when  we  put  off  these  bodies  we  put  on  immortality 
These  bodies  will  return  to  dust,  but  our  hope  and  faith  are 
that  we  will  receive  these  bodies  again  from  the  elements — 
that  we  will  receive  the  very  organization  that  we  have  here, 
and  that,  if  we  are  faithful  to  the  principles  of  freedom,  we 
shall  then  be  prepared  to  endure  eternally.  5 .53. 

Our  Bodies  Will  be  Resurrected— After  the  spirit  leaves 
the  body,  it  remains  without  a  tabernacle  in  the  spirit  world 
until  the  Lord,  by  his  law  that  he  has  ordained,  brings  to  pass 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead  When  the  angel  who  holds  the  keys 
of  the  resurrection  shall  sound  his  trumpet,  then  the  peculiar 
fundamental  particles  that  organized  our  bodies  here,  if  we  do 
honor  to  them,  though  they  "be  deposited  in  the  depths  of  the 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  57 1 

sea,  and  though  one  particle  is  in  the  north,  another  m  the 
south,  another  in  the  east,  and  another  in  the  west,  will  be 
brought  together  again  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  and  our 
spirits  will  take  possession  of  them  We  shall  then  be  pre- 
pared to  dwell  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  we  never  can 
be  prepared  to  dwell  with  them  until  then.  Spirits,  when  they 
leave  their  bodies,  do  not  dwell  with  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
but  live  in  the  Spirit  world,  where  there  are  places  prepared 
for  them.  Those  who  do  honor  to  their  tabernacles,  and  love 
and  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  must  put  off  this  mortality, 
or  they  cannot  put  on  immortality  This  body  must  be  changed, 
else  it  cannot  be  prepared  to  dwell  in  the  glory  of  the  Father. 
828. 

The  only  true  riches  in  existence  are  for  you  and  me  to 
secure  for  ourselves  a  holy  resurrection.  1  -272. 

After  the  body  and  spirit  are  separated  by  death,  what,  per- 
taining to  this  earth,  shall  we  receive  first?  The  body;  that  is 
the  first  object  of  a  divine  affection  beyond  the  grave.  We 
first  come  in  possession  of  the  body.  The  spirit  has  overcome 
the  body,  and  the  body  is  made  subject  in  every  respect  to  that 
divine  principle  God  has  planted  in  the  person.  The  spirit 
within  is  pure  and  holy,  and  goes  back  pure  and  holy  to  God, 
dwells  in  the  spirit  world  pure  and  holy,  and,  by  and  by,  will 
have  the  privilege  of  coming  and  taking  the  body  again.  Some 
person  holding  the  keys  of  the  resurrection,  having  previously 
passed  through  that  ordeal,  will  be  delegated  to  resurrect  our 
bodies,  and  our  spirits  will  be  there  and  prepared  to  enter  into 
their  bodies.  Then,  when  we  are  prepared  to  receive  our 
bodies,  they  are  the  first  earthly  objects  that  bear  divinity 
personified  in  the  capacity  of  the  man.  Only  the  body  dies , 
the  spirit  is  looking  forth.  9:139. 

But  this  our  place  of  abode  is  only  temporary ,  we  are  on  a 


572  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

journey;  we  have  only  to  winter  and  summer,  as  it  were. 
Brother  Grant  has  got  through  here,  and  has  gone  to  his  spirit- 
ual place  of  abode  for  a  season  Not  that  he  has  reached  his 
journey's  end,  nor  will  he,  until  he  has  again  received  this  body 
that  now  lies  -before  me.  Every  material  part  and  portion 
pertaining  to  his  body,  to  the  temporal  organization  that  con- 
stitutes the  man,  will  clothe  his  spirit  again,  before  he  is  pre- 
pared to  receive  the  place  and  habitation  that  is  prepared  for 
him ;  yet  he  has  gone  to  his  spiritual  home  for  a  season  4:129 

Yes,  we  will  lay  down  these  bodies  in  the  grave.  What 
for ?  That  the  dust,  our  mother  earth,  that  composes  the  house 
of  the  spirit,  may  be  purified  by  passing  through  this  ordeal, 
and  be  prepared  to  be  called  up  and  united  with  the  intelligent 
heavenly  body  that  God  has  prepared.  This  is  nothing  but  a 
change  It  is  not  the  dissolution  of  the  creature ;  it  is  merely 
putting  off  the  flesh  that  pertains  to  this  world. 

The  particles  of  this  earth  that  now  compose  this  body  will 
be  rearranged,  and  the  spirit  will  be  clothed  with  an  immortal 
tabernacle  Let  the  spirit  reign  predominant  over  the  flesh, 
and  bring  into  subjection  the  whole  man,  every  feeling  and 
every  desire  of  his  heart,  and  let  him  be  devoted  wholly,  body 
and  spirit,  to  the  end  for  which  he  has  been  created.  When 
the  flesh  is  brought  into  subjection,  it  is  made  worthy  through 
that  means.  8:43. 

We  are  here  in  circumstances  to  bury  our  dead  according 
to  the  order  of  the  Priesthood.  But  some  of  our  brethren  die 
upon  the  ocean ;  they  cannot  be  buried  in  a  burying  ground,  but 
they  are  sewed  up  in  canvas  and  cast  into  the  sea,  and  perhaps 
in  two  minutes  after  they  aie  m  the  bowels  of  the  shark,  yet 
those  persons  will  come  forth  in  the  resurrection,  and  receive 
all  the  glory  of  which  they  are  worthy,  and  be  clothed  upon  with 
all  the  beauty  of  resurrected  Saints,  as  much  so  as  if  they  had 


DEATH  AND  RESURRECTION  573 

been  laid  away  in  a  gold  or  silver  coffin,  and  in  a  place  ex- 
pressly for  burying  the  dead.  9  193 

The  resurrection  from  the  dead  may  also,  with  propriety, 
be  called  a  birth.  8 .260. 

The  blood  he  spilled  upon  Mount  Calvary  he  did  not  receive 
again  into  his  veins.  That  was  poured  out,  and  when  he  was 
resurrected,  another  element  took  the  place  of  the  blood.  It 
will  be  so  with  every  person  who  receives  a  resurrection;  the 
blood  will  not  be  resurrected  with  the  body,  being  designed  only 
to  sustain  the  life  of  the  present  organization  When  that  is 
dissolved,  and  we  again  obtain  our  bodies  by  the  power  of  the 
:esurrecton,  that  which  we  now  call  the  life  of  the  body,  and 
which  is  formed  from  the  food  we  eat  and  the  water  we  drink 
will  be  supplanted  by  another  element ,  for  flesh  and  blood  can- 
not inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God.  7.163 

Jesus,  the  First  Fruits  of  the  Resurrection— Jesus  is  the 

first  begotten  from  the  dead,  as  you  will  understand.  Neither 
Enoch,  Elijah,  Moses,  nor  any  other  man  that  ever  lived  on 
earth,  no  matter  how  strictly  he  lived,  ever  obtained  a  resur- 
rection until  after  Jesus  Christ's  body  was  called  from  the  tomb 
by  the  angel  He  was  the  first  begotten  from  the  dead  He  is 
the  Master  of  the  resurrection— the  first  flesh  that  lived  here 
after  receiving  the  glory  of  the  resurrection,  8:260. 

You  read  about  a  first  resurrection.  If  there  is  a  first,  there 
is  a  second  And  if  a  second,  may  theie  not  be  a  third,  and  a 
fourth,  and  so  on  ?  Yes ;  andj  happy  are  they  who  have  a  part 
in  the  first  resurrection.  Yes,  more  blessed  are  they  than  any 
others.  But  blessed  also  are  they  that  will  have  part  in  the  sec- 
ond resurrection,  for  they  will  be  brought  forth  to  enjoy  a 
kingdom  that  is  more  glorious  than  the  sectarian  world  ever 
dreamed  of  7:287. 

The   Resurrected  Body— We  bear  the  'image  of  our 


574  DISCOURSES  OF  BRTGHAM  YOUNG 

earthly  parents  in  their  fallen  state,  but  by  obedience  to  the 
Gospel  of  salvation,  and  the  renovating  influences  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  the  holy  resurrection,  we  shall  put  on  the  image  of 
the  heavenly,  m  beauty,  glory,  power  and  goodness  Jesus 
Christ  was  so  like  his  Father  that  on  one  occasion  in  answer 
to  a  request,  "Show  us  the  Father,"  he  said,  "He  that  hath  seen 
me  hath  seen  the  Father  "  1 1  '123. 

In  the  resurrection  everything  that  is  necessary  will  be 
brought  from  the  elements  to  clothe  and  to  beautify  the  resur- 
rected Saints,  who  will  receive  their  reward  I  do  not  trouble 
myself  about  my  dead.  If  they  are  stripped  of  their  clothing, 
I  do  not  want  to  know  it  9:192. 

When  the  body  comes  forth  again,  it  will  be  divine,  God- 
like according  to  the  capacity  and  oidmations  of  the  Lord 
Some  are  fore-ordained  to  one  station,  and  some  to  another 
We  want  a  bouse,  and  when  we  get  it  and  our  spirits  enter  into 
it,  then  we  can  begin  to  look  forth— for  what?  For  our  friends. 
We  want  them  resurrected.  Here  is  this  friend  and  that  friend, 
until  by  and  by  all  are  resurrected.  And  the  earth  is  resur- 
rected?  Yes,  and  every  living  thing  on  the  earth  that  has 
abided  the  law  by  which  it  was  made.  Then  that  which  you  and 
I  respect,  are  fond  of,  and  love  with  an  earthly  love,  will  become 
divine,  and  we  can  then  love  it  with  that  affection  which,  it  is 
not  now  worthy  of.  9.140. 

Our  bodies  are  now  mortal  In  the  resurrection  there  will 
be  a  reunion  of  the  spirits  and  bodies,  and  they  will  walk,  talk, 
eat,  drink,  and  enjoy  Those  who  have  passed  these  ordeals  are 
society  for  angels — for  the  Gods,  and  are  the  ones  who  will 
come  into  the  Temple  of  the  Loid  that  is  to  be  built  in  the 
latter  days,  when  saviors  shall  come  up  upon  Mount  Zion,  and 
will  say,  "Here,  my  children,  I  want  this  and  this  done  Here 
are  the  names  of  such  and  such  ones,  of  our  fathers,  and  moth- 


DEATH   AND  RESURRECTION  575 

ers — our  ancestors ;  we  will  bring  them  up.  Go  forth,  you  who 
have  not  passed  the  ordeals  of  death  and  the  resurrection — 
you  who  live  in  the  flesh,  and  attend  to  the  ordinances  for  those 
who  have  died  without  the  law  "  Those  who  are  resurrected 
will  thus  dictate  in  the  temple.  When  the  Saints  pass  through 
death,  they  cannot  officiate  in  this  sinful  world,  but  they  will 
dictate  those  who  are  here.  "Go,  now,  and  be  baptized  for  the 
honorable — for  those  who  would  have  received  the  law  of  God 
and  the  true  religion,  if  they  had  lived;  be  baptized  for  the 
heathen — for  all  who  were  honest ;  officiate  for  them,  and  save 
them,  and  bring  them  up.  Be  baptized  for  them,  anointed  for 
them,  washed  and  sealed  for  them,  and  fulfil  all  the  ordinances 
which  cannot  be  dispensed  with."  They  will  all  be  performed 
for  the  living  and  the  dead  upon  Mount  Zion.  8  -225. 

Resurrection  Necessary  to  Full  Salvation — No  man  can 
enter  the  celestial  kingdom  and  be  crowned  with  a  celestial 
glory,  until  he  gets  his  resurrected  body;  but  Joseph  and  the 
faithful  who  have  died  have  gained  a  victory  over  the  power 
of  the  Devil,  which  you  and  I  have  not  yet  gained.  So  long  as 
we  live  in  these  tabernacles,  so  long  we  will  be  subject  to  the 
temptations  and  power  of  the  Devil;  but  when  we  lay  them 
down,  if  we)  have  been  faithful,  we  have  gained  the  victory  so 
far ;  but  even  then  we  are  not  so  far  advanced  at  once  as  to  be 
beyond  the  neighborhood  of  evil  spirits.  3 :371. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
THE  SPIRIT  WORLD 

All  Go  to  the  Spirit  World— When  we  get  through  this 
state  of  being,  to  the  next  room,  I  may  call  it,  we  are  not 
going  to  stop  there.  We  shall  still  go  on,  doing  all  the  good 
we  can,  administering  and  officiating  for  all  whom  we  are 
permitted  to  administer  and  officiate  for,  and  then  go  on  to 
the  next,  and  to  the  next,  until  the  Lord  shall  crown  all  who 
have  been  faithful  on  this  earth,  and  the  work  pertaining 
to  the  earth  is  finished,  and  the  Savior,  whom  we  have  been 
helping,  has  completed  his  task,  and  the  earth,  with  all  things 
pertaining  to  it,  is  presented  to  the  Father.  Then  thes^e 
faithful  ones  will  receive  their  blessings  and  crowns,  and 
their  inheritances  will  be  set  off  to  them  and  be  given  to 
them,  and  they  will  then  go  on,  worlds  upon  worlds,  in- 
creasing for  ever  and  ever.  16:70. 

No  spirit  of  Saint  or  sinner,  of  the  Prophet  or  him  that 
kills  the  Prophet,  is  prepared  for  their  final  state;  all  pass 
through  the  veil  from  this  state  and  go  into  the  world  of 
spirits ;  and  there  they  dwell  waiting  for  their  final  destiny. 
6:294.  ;  - 

Where  Is  the  Spirit  World— Is  the  spirit  world  here?  It 
is  not  beyond  the  sun,  but  is  on  this  earth  that  was  organ- 
ized for  the  people  that  have  lived  and  that  do  and  will 
live  upon  it.  No  other  people  can  have  it,  and  we  can  have 
no  other  kingdom  until  we  are  prepared  to  inhabit  this 
eternally.  3 :372. 

When  you  lay  down  this  tabernacle,  where  are  you 
going?  Into  the  spiritual  world.  Are  you  going  into  Abra- 
ham's bosom?  No,  not  anywhere  nigh  there  but 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD 


577 


into  the  spirit  world.  Where  is  the  spirit  world? 
It  is  right  here  Do  the  good  and  evil  spirits 
go  together ?  Yes,  they  do.  Do  they  both  inhabit  one  king- 
dom? Yes,  they  do.  Do  they  go  to  the  sun?  No.  Do  they 
go  beyond  the  boundaries  of  the  organized  earth?  No,  they 
do  not.  They  are  brought  forth  upon  this  earth,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  inhabiting  it  to  all  eternity  Where  else 
are  you  going?  Nowhere  else,  only  as  you  may  be  per- 
mitted. 3.369 

You  are  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  when  your  eyes  are 
opened  you  will  understand  it  Brother  Grant's  spirit  is  in 
the  presence  of  God;  and  he  is  with  Joseph,  when  he  is  not 
required  to  be  somewhere  else.  He  is  at  work  for  the  bene- 
fit of  Zion,  for  that  is  all  the  business  that  Joseph  and  the 
Elders  of  this  Church  have  on  hand  4 :133 

It  reads  that  the  spirit  goes  to  God  who  gave  it  Let 
me  render  this  scripture  a  little  plainer,  when  the  spirits 
leave  their  bodies  they  are  in  the  presence  of  our  Father 
and  God,  they  are  prepared  then  to  see,  hear  and  under- 
stand spiritual  things.  But  where  is  the  spirit  world?  It 
is  incorporated  within  this  celestial  system.  Can  you  see  it 
with  your  natural  eyes?  No  Can  you  see  spirits  in  this 
room?  No.  Suppose  the  Lord  should  touch  your  eyes  that 
you  might  see,  could  you  then  see  the  spirits?  Yes,  as 
plainly  as  you  now  see  bodies,  as  did  the  servant  of  Elijah. 
If  the  Lord  would  permit  it,  and  it  was  his  will  that  it 
should  be  done,  you  could  see  the  spirits  that  have  de- 
parted from  this  world,  as  plainly  as  you  now  see  bodies 
with  your  natural  eyes  3 .368. 

The  Prophet  lays  down  his  body,  he  lays  down  his  life, 
and  his  spirit  goes  to  the  world  of  spirits ;  the  persecutor  of 
the  Prophet  dies,  and  he  goes  to  Hades;  they  both  go  to 


578  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

one  place,  and  they  are  not  to  be  separated  yet.  Now  under- 
stand, that  this  is  part  of  the  great  sermon  the  Lord  is 
preaching  in  his  providence,  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
are  together  m  Hades 

If  we  go  back  to  our  mother  country,  the  States,  we  find 
there  the  righteous,  and  we  there  find  the  wicked,  if  we 
go  to  California,  we  there  find  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked;  all  dwelling  together ;  and  when  we  go  beyond  this 
veil,  and  leave  our  bodies  which  were  taken  from  mother 
earth,  and  which  must  return,  our  -spirits  will  pass  beyond 
the  veil;  we  go  where  both  Saints  and1  sinners  go,  they  all 
go  to  one  place  3  94 

If  the  wicked  wish  to  escape  from  his  presence,  they 
must  go  where  ,he  is  not,  where  he  does  not  live,  where 
his  influence  does  not  preside.  To  find  such  a  place  is  im- 
possible, except  they  go  beyond  the  bounds  of  time  and 
space.  2  94 

Labors  in  the  Spirit  World— They  must  go  into  prison, 
both  Saints  and  sinners.  The  good  and  bad,  the  righteous 
and  the  unrighteous  must  go  to  the  house  of  prison,  or 
Paradise,  and  Jesus  went  and  opened  the  doors  of  salvation 
to  them.  And  unless  they  lost  the  keys  of  salvation  on  ac- 
count of  transgression,  as  has  been  the  case  on  this  earth, 
spirits  clothed  with  the  Priesthood  have  ministered  to  them 
from  that  day  to  this.  And  if  they  lost  the  keys  by  trans- 
gression, some  one  who  had  been  in  the  flesh,  Joseph,  for 
instance,  had  to  take  those  keys  to  them  And  he  is  call- 
ing one  after  another  to  his  aid,  as  the  Lord  sees  he  wants 
help.  4285. 

Compare  those  inhabitants  on  the  earth  who  have  heard 
the  Gospel  in  our  day,  with  the  millions  who  have  never 
heard  it,  or  had  the  keys  of  salvation  presented  to  them,  and 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  579 

you  will  conclude  at  once  as  I  do,  that  there  is  an  almighty 
work  to  perform  in  the  spirit  world.  Joseph  has  not  yet  got 
through  there.  When  he  finishes  his  mission  in  the  spirit 
world,  he  will  be  resurrected,  but  he  has  not  yet  done  there. 
Reflect  upon  the  millions  and  millions  and  millions  of  people 
that  have  lived  and  died  without  hearing  the  Gospel  on  the 
earth,  without  the  keys  of  the  Kingdom.  They  were  not  pre- 
pared for  celestial  glory,  and  there  was  no  power  that  could 
prepare  them  without  the  keys  of  this  Priesthood,  4  285. 

Jesus  was  the  first  man  that  ever  went  to  preach  to  the 
spirits  in  prison,  holding  the  keys  of  the  Gospel  of  salva- 
tion to  them.  Those  keys  were  delivered  to  him  in  the  day 
and  hour  that  he  went  into  the  spirit  world,  and  with  them 
he  opened  the  door  of  salvation  to  the  spirits  in  prison 
3370 

Father  Smith  and  Carlos  and  Brother  Partridge,  yes,  and 
every  other  good  Saint,  are  just  as  busy  in  the  spirit  world 
as  you  and  I  are  here  They  can  see  us,  but  we  cannot  see 
them  unless  our  eyes  were  opened  What  are  they  doing 
there?  They  are  preaching,  preaching  all  the  time,  and  pre- 
paring the  way  for  us  to  hasten  our  work  in  building  tem- 
ples here  and  elsewhere,  and  to  go  back  to  Jackson  County 
and  build  the  great  temple  of  the  Lord.  They  are  hurrying 
to  get  ready  by  the  time  we  are  ready,  and  we  are  all  hurry- 
ing to  get  ready  by  the  time  our  Elder  Brother  is  ready. 
3  369-370. 

When  men  overcome  as  our  faithful  brethren  have,  and 
go  where  they  see  Joseph,  who  will  dictate  them  and  be 
their  head  and  Prophet  all  the  time,  they  have  power  over 
all  disembodied  evil  spirits,  for  they  have  overcome  them. 
Those  evil  spirits  are  under  the  command  and  control  of 
every  man  that  has  had  the  Priesthood  on  him,  and  has 


580  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

honored  it  in  the  flesh,  just  as  much  as  my  hand  is  under 
my  control.   4-132 

Every  faithful  man's  labor  will  continue  as  long  as  the 
labor  of  Jesus,  until  all  things  are  redeemed  that  can  be  re- 
deemed, and  presented  to  the  Father.  There  is  a  great  work 
before  us  13  77. 

•  The  spirits  that  dwell  in  these  tabernacles  on  this  earth, 
when  they  leave  them  go  directly  into  this  world  of  spirits 
What  1  A  congregated  mass  of  inhabitants  there  in  spirit, 
mingling  with  each  other,  as  they  do  here?  Yes,  brethren, 
they  are  there  together,  and  if  they  associate  together,  and 
collect  together,  in  clans  and  in  societies  as  they  do  here,  it 
is  their  privilege  No  doubt  they  yet,  more  or  less,  see, 
hear,  converse  and  have  to  do  with  each  other,  both  good 
and  bad  If  the  Elders  of  Israel  in  these  latter  times  go 
and  preach  to  the  spirits  in  prison,  they  associate  with  them, 
precisely  as  our  Elders  associate  with  the  wicked  in  the 
flesh,  when  they  go  to  preach  to  them.  2 :137. 

If  a  person  is  baptized  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  dies 
a  short  time  thereafter,  he  is  not  prepared  at  once  to  enjoy 
a  fulness  of  the  glory  promised  to  the  faithful  in  the  Gospel ; 
for  he  must  be  schooled,  while  in  the  spirit,  in  the  other  de- 
partments of  the  house  of  God,  passing  on  from  truth  to 
truth,  from  intelligence  to  intelligence,  until  he  is  prepared 
to  again  receive  his  body  and  to  enter  into  the  presence  of 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  We  cannot  enter  into  celestial 
glory  in  our  present  state  of  ignorance  and  mental  darkness 
7:332. 

Suppose,  then,  that  a  man  is  evil  in  his  heart — wholly 
given  up  to  wickedness,  and  in  that  condition  dies,  his  spirit 
will  enter  the  spirit  world  intent  upon  evil.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  we  are  striving  with  all  the  powers  and  faculties 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  581 

God  has  given  us  to  improve  upon  our  talents,  to  prepare 
ourselves  to  dwell  in  eternal  life,  and  the  grave  receives  our 
bodies  while  we  are  thus  engaged,  with  what  disposition 
will  our  spirits  enter  their  next  state?  They  will  be  still 
striving  to  do  the  things  of  God,  only  in  a  much  greater 
degree — learning,  increasing,  growing  in  grace  and  in  the 
kowledge  of  the  truth,  7  333. 

If  we  are  faithful  to  our  religion,  when  we  go  into  the 
spirit  world,  the  fallen  spirits— Lucifer  and  the  third  part  of 
the  heavenly  hosts  that  came  with  him,  and  the  spirits  of 
wicked  men  who  have  dwelt  upon  this  earth,  the  whole  of 
them  combined  will  have  no  influence  over  our  spirits  Is 
not  that  an  advantage ?  Yes.  All.the  rest  of  the  children 
of  men  are  more  or  less  subject  to  them,  and  they  are  sub- 
ject to  them  as  they  were  while  here  in  the  flesh.  7 .240. 

Spirits  are  just  as  familiar  with  spirits  as  bodies  are  with 
bodies,  though  spirits  are  composed  of  matter  so  refined  as 
not  to  be  tangible  to  this  coarser  organization.  They  walk, 
converse,  and  have  their  meetings;  and  the  spirits  of  good 
men  like  Joseph  and  the  Elders,  who  have  left  this  Church 
on  earth  for  a  season  to  operate  in  another  sphere,  are 
rallying  all  their  powers  and  going  from  place  to  place 
preaching  the  Gospel,  and  Joseph  is  directing  them,  saying, 
go  ahead,  my  brethren,  and  if  they  hedge  up  your  way, 
walk  up  and  command  them  to  disperse.  You  have  the 
Priesthood  and  can  disperse  them,  but  if  any  of  them  wish 
to  hear  the  Gospel,  preach  to  them. 

Can  they  baptize  them?  No  What  can  they  do?  They 
can  preach  the  Gospel,  and  when  we  have  the  privilege  of 
building  up  Zion,  the  time  will  come  for  saviors  to  come  up 
on  Mount  Zion.  Some  of  those  who  are  not  in  mortality  will 
come  along  and  say,  "Here  are  a  thousand  names  I  wish  you 


582  DISCOURSES  OF  &SJGHAM  YOUNG 

to  attend  to  in  this  temple,  and  when  you  have  got  through 
with  them  I  will  give  you  another  thousand;"  and  the 
Elders  of  Israel  and  their  wives  will  go  forth  to  officiate 
for  their  forefathers,  the  men  for  the  men,  and  the  women 
for  the  women.  3  '371-372, 

Life  in  the  Spirit  World— We  have  more  friends  behind 
the  veil  than  on  this  side,  and  they  will  hail  us  more  joy- 
fully than  you  were  ever  welcomed  by  your  parents  and 
friends  in  this  world;  and  you  will  rejoice  more  when  you 
meet  them  than  you  ever  rejoiced  to  see  a  friend  in  this 
life;  and  then  we  shall  go  on  from  step  to  step,  from  re- 
joicing to  rejoicing,  and  from  one  intelligence  and  power 
to  another,  our  happiness  becoming  more  and  more  ex- 
quisite and  sensible  as  we  proceed  in  the  words  and  powers 
of  life.  6-349. 

When  the  breath  leaves  the  body,  your  life  has  not  be- 
come extinct ;  your  life  is  still  in  existence.  And  when  you 
are  in  the  spirit  world,  everything  there  will  appear  as  nat- 
ural as  things  now  do  Spirits  will  be  familiar  with  spirits 
in  the  spirit  world— will  converse,  behold,  and  exercise 
every  variety  of  communicatipn  with  one  another  as  famil- 
iarly and  naturally  as  while  here  in  tabernacles  There,  as 
here,  all  things  will  be  natural,  and  you  will  understand 
them  as  you  now  understand  natural  things.  You  will  there 
see  that  those  spirits  we  are  speaking  of  are  active;  they 
sleep  not  And  you  will  learn  that  they  are  striving  with 
all  their  might— laboring  and  toiling  diligently  as  any  in- 
dividual would  to  accomplish  an  act  in  this  world — to 
destroy  the  children  of  men.  7-239 

I  can  say  with  regard  to  parting  with  our  friends,  and 
going  ourselves,  that  I  have  been  near  enough  to  under- 
stand eternity  so  that  I  have  had  to  exercise  a  great  deal 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  583 

more  faith  to  desire  to  live  than  I  ever  exercised  in  my 
whole  life  to  live  The  brightness  and'  glory  of  the  next 
apartment  is  inexpressible  It  is  not  encumbered  so  that 
when  we  advance  in  years  we  have  to  be  stubbing  along 
and  be  careful  lest  we  fall  down  We  see  our  youth,  even, 
frequently  stubbing  their  toes  and  falling  down  But  yonder, 
how  different!  They  move  with  ease  and  like  lightning 
If  we  want  to  visit  Jerusalem,  or  this,  that,  or  the  other 
place — and  I  presume  we  will  be  permitted  if  we  desire- 
there  we  are,  looking  at  its  streets  If  we  want  to  behold 
Jerusalem  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Savior ;  or  if  wie  want 
to  see  the  Garden  of  Eden  as  it  was  when  created,  there  we 
are,  and  we  see  it  as  it  existed  spiritually,  for  it  was  created 
first  spiritually  and  then  temporally,  and  spiritually  it  still 
remains  And  when  there  we  may  behold  the  earth  as  at  the 
dawn  of  creation,  or  we  may  visit  any  city  we  plea&e  that 
exists  upon  its  surface.  If  we  wish  to  understand  how  they 
are  living  here  on  "these  western  islands,  or  in  China,  we 
are  there;  in  fact,  we  are  like  the  light  of  the  morning,  or,  I 
will  not  say  the  electric  fluid,  but  its  operations  on  the 
wires.  God  has  revealed  some  little  things,  with  regard  to 
his  movements  and  power,  and  the  operation  and  motion 
of  the  lightning  furnish  a  fine  illustration  of  the  ability  of 
the  Almighty. 

When  we  pass  into  the  spirit  world  we  shall  possess  a 
measure  of  this  power.  Here,  we  are  continually  troubled 
with  ills  and  ailments  of  various  kinds  In  the  spirit  world 
we  are  free  from  all  this  and  enjoy  life,  glory,  and  intelli- 
gence; and  we  have  the  Father  to  speak  to  us,  Jesus  to 
speak  to  us,  and  angels  to  speak  to  us,  and  we  shall  enjoy 
the  society  of  the  just  and  the  pure  who  are  in  the  spirit 
world  until  the  resurrection.  14.231. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
ETERNAL  JUDGMENT 

Judgment  According  to  Works— This  is  a  subject  I  have 
reflected  upon  a  great  deal,  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  we  shall  be  judged  according  to  the  deeds  done  in 
the  body  and  according  to  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 
heart  14.99.  . 

There  are  none  ticketed  for  the  pit,  unless  they  fill  up 
that  ticket  themselves  through  their  own  misconduct.  4 :268. 

I  do  know  that  the  trying  day  will  soon  come  to  you 
and  to  me;  and  ere  long  we  will  have  to  lay  down  these 
tabernacles  and  go  into  the  spirit  world.  And  I  do  know 
that  as  we  lie  down,  so  judgment  will  find  us,  and  that  is 
scriptural;  "as  the  tree  falls  so  it  shall  lie,"  or,  in  other 
words,  as  death  leaves  us  so  judgment  will  find  us.  4:52. 

The  sectarian  doctrine  of  final  rewards  and  punishments 
is  as  strange  to  me  as  their  bodyless,  partless,  and  passion- 
less God.  Every  man  will  receive  according  to  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good  or  bad.  All  men, 
excepting  those  who  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  shed 
innocent  blood  or  who  consent  thereto,  will  be  saved  in 
some  kingdom;  for  in  my  Father's  house,  says  Jesus,  are 
many  mansions.  11:125. 

How  many  kingdoms  there  are  has  not  been  told  to  us ; 
they  are  innumerable.  The  disciples  of  Jesus  were  to  dwell 
with  him.  Where  will  the  rest  go?  Into  kingdoms  pre- 
pared for  them,  where  they  will  live  and  endure.  Jesus  will 
bring  forth,  by  his  own  redemption,  every  son  and  daugh- 
ter of  Adam,  except  the  sons  of  perdition,  who  will  be  cast 
into  hell.  Others  will  suffer  the  wrath  of  God — will  suffer 


ETERNAL  JUDGMENT  585 

all  the  Lord  can  demand  at  their  hands,  or  justice  can  re- 
quire of  them ;  and  when  they  have  suffered  the  wrath  of 
God  till  the  utmost  farthing  is  paid,  they  will  be  brought 
out  of  prison.  Is  this  dangerous  doctrine  to  preach?  Some 
consider  it  dangerous ,  but  it  is  true  that  every  person  who 
does  not  sin  away  the  day  of  grace,  and  become  an  angel  to 
the  Devil,  will  be  brought  forth  to  inherit  a  kingdom  of 
glory.  8:154 

How  many  glories  and  kingdoms  will  there  be  in  eter- 
nity ?  You  will  see  the  same  variety  in  eternity  as  you  see 
in  the  world.  6  -293. 

We  read  in  the  Bible,  that  there  is  one  glory  of  the  sun, 
another  glory  of  the  moon,  and  another  glory  of  the  stars 
In  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  these  glories  are 
called  telestial,  terrestrial,  and  celestial,  which  is  the  high- 
est These  are  worlds,  different  departments,  or  mansions, 
in  our  Father's  house.  Now  those  men,  or  those  women, 
who  know  no  more  about  the  power  of  God,  and  the  in- 
fluences of  the  Holy  Spirit,  than  to  be  led  entirely  by  an- 
other person,  suspending  their  own  understanding,  and  pin- 
ning their  faith  upon  another's  sleeve,  will  never  be  capable 
of  entering  into  the  celestial  glory,  to  be  crowned  as  they 
anticipate,  they  will  never  be  capable  of  becoming  Gods. 
They  cannot  rule  'themselves,  to  say  nothing  of  ruling 
others,  but  they  must  be  dictated  to  in  every  trifle,  like  a 
child.  They  cannot  control  themselves  in  the  least,  but 
James,  Peter,  or  somebody  else  must  control  them.  They 
never  can  become  Gods,  nor  be  crowned  as  rulers  with 
glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  lives.  They  never  can  hold 
sceptres  of  glory,  majesty,  and  power  in  the  celestial  king- 
dom. Who  will?  Those  who  are  valiant  and  inspired  with 
the  true  independence  of  heaven,  who  will  go  forth  boldly 


586  DISCOURSES  OF  BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  the  service  of  their  God,  leaving  others  to  do  as  they 
please,  determined  to  do  right,  though  all  mankind  besides 
should  take  the  opposite  course,  1  312 

More  will  prove  faithful  than  will  apostatize.  A  cer- 
tain class  of  this  people  will  go  into  the  celestial  kingdom, 
while  others  cannot  enter  there,  because  they  cannot  abide 
a  celestial  law ;  but  they  will  attain  to  as  good  a  kingdom  as 
they  desire  and  live  for  8  39 

The  punishment  of  God  is  God-like  It  endures  for- 
ever, because  there  never  will  be  a  time  when  people  ought 
not  to  be  damned,  and  there  must  always  be  a  hell  to  send 
them  to.  How  long  the  damned  remain  in  hell,  I  know  not, 
nor  what  degree  of  suffering  they  endure.  If  we  could  by 
any  means  compute  how  much  wickedness  they  are  guilty 
of,  it  might  be  possible  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  suffer- 
ing they  will  receive  They  will  receive  according  as  their 
deeds  have  been  while  in  the  body  God's  punishment  is 
eternal,  but  that  does  not  prove  that  a  wicked  person  will 
remain  eternally  in  a  state  of  punishment.  9 .147 

You  hear  some  of  them  preach  and  teach  that  which  I 
never  taught ;  you  hear  them  preach  people  into  hell.  Such 
doctrine  never  entered  into  my  heart ;  but  you  hear  others 
preach,  that  people  will  go  there  to  dwell  throughout  the 
endless  ages  of  eternity.  Such  persons  know  no  more  about 
eternity,  and  are  no  more  capable  of  instructing  others  upon 
the  subject,  than  a  little  child.  1  352. 

But  when  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  God  comes  to  a 
man,  and  he  rejects  it,  that  is  his  condemnation.  2:140 

All  who  believe,  have  honest  hearts,  and  bring  forth 
fruits  of  righteousness,  are  the  elect  of  God  and  heirs  to  all 
things.  All  who  refuse  to  obey  the  holy  commandments  of 
the  Lord  and  the  ordinances  of  his  house  will  be  judged  out 


ETERNAL  JUDGMENT  587 

of  their  own  mouths,  will  condemn  themselves  as  they  do 
now,  will  be  accounted  unworthy  and  will  have  no  part  or 
lot  with  the  righteous.  8 :83. 

"Well,"  says  one,  "if  I  am  pretty  sure  to  get  a  state  of 
glory  better  than  this,  I  guess  I  will  not  take  the  trouble 
to  inherit  anything  more."  Well,  run  the  risk  of  it,  every 
man  on  the  earth  has  the  privilege.  The  Gospel  is  preached, 
sin  revives,  some  die  and  some  contend  against  it — some 
receive  it  and  some  do  not ;  but  this  is  the  sin  of  the  people 
—truth  is  told  them  and  they  reject  it.  This  is  the  sm  of 
the  world.  "Light  has  come  into  the  world,  but  men  love 
darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil" 
So  said  Jesus  in  his  day.  We  say,  here  is  the  Gospel  of  life 
and  salvation,  and  everyone  that  will  receive  it,  glory,  honor, 
immortality  and  eternal  life  are  theirs ;  if  they  reject  it,  they 
take  their  chance.  15 :128. 

Honesty  in  Action  Will  Temper  Judgment— A  man  or 
woman  must  know  the  ways  of  God  before  they  can  be- 
come ungodly.  Persons  may  be  sinners,  may  be  unright- 
eous, may  be  wicked,  who  have  never  heard  the  plan  of 
salvation,  who  are  even  unacquainted  with  the  history  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  or  who  have  heard  of  the  name  of  the 
Savior,  and,  perhaps,  the  history  of  his  life  while  on  the 
earth,  but  have  been  taught  unbelief  through  their  tradition 
and  education ;  but  to  be  ungodly,  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word,  they  must  measureably  understand  godliness.  4.58 

Don't  cast  them  down  to  hell  for  their  honest  belief. 
2:140. 

If  you  do  evil  ignorantly  and  in  good  faith,  I  promise  you 
it  shall  result  in  good.  7:139. 

It  has  appeared  to  me,  from  my  childhood  to  this  day,  as 
a  piece  of  complete  nonsense,  to  talk  about  the  inhabitants 


588  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

of  the  earth  being  thus  irretrievably  lost— to  talk  of  my 
father  and  mother,  and  yours,  or  our  ancestors,  who  have 
lived  faithfully  according  to  the  best  light  they  had,  but  be- 
cause they  had  not  the  everlasting  covenant  and  the  holy 
Priesthood  in  their  midst,  that  they  should  go  to  hell  and 
roast  there  to  all  eternity.  It  is  nonsense  to  me;  it  always 
was,  and  is  yet.  6:291. 

So  far  as  morality  is  concerned,  millions  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  live  according  to  the  best  light  they 
have— according  to  the  best  knowledge  they  possess  I  have 
told  you  frequently  that  they  will  receive  according  to  their 
works;  and  all,  who  live  according  to  the  best  principles  in 
their  possession,  or  that  they  can  understand,  will  receive 
peace,  glory,  comfort,  joy  and  a  crown  that  will  be  far 
beyond  what  they  are  anticipating  They  will  not  be  lost 
6332. 

I  say  to  every  priest  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  I  do  not 
care  whether  they  be  Christian,  Pagan  or  Mohammedan, 
you  should  live  according  to  the  best  light  you  have,  and 
if  you  do  you  will  receive  all  the  glory  you  ever  antici- 
pated We  should  not  be  prejudiced  against  you  in  the 
-4«asT;  even  if  you  are  against  us  and  declare  falsehoods 
about  us  we  should  not  retaliate.  But  how  prone  we  are 
to  rebuke  if  we  are  rebuked/ or  if  we  receive  a  sharp  word 
to  return  one.  The  Latter-day  Saints  have  to  overcome 
this ;  and  the  world  may  cry  out  and  say  all  manner  of  'evil 
against  us,  but,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  let  us  so  live  that 
it  will  be  said  falsely.  14:151. 

The  very  heathen  we  were  talking  about;  if  they  have 
a  law,  no  matter  who  made  it,  and  do  the  best  they  know 
how,  they  will  have  a  glory  which  is  beyond  your  imagina- 
tion, by  any  description  I  might  give;  you  cannot  conceive 


ETERNAL  JUDGMENT  589 

of  the  least  portion  of  the  glory  of  God  prepared  for  his 
beings,  the  workmanship  of  his  hands  3 .93. 

None  will  become  angels  to  the  Devil  except  those  who 
have  sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  11 .271. 

Hell  Defined — Any  person  knowing  and  understanding 
the  Scriptures  as  they  are,  and  understandig  the  mind  and 
will  of  God,  can  understand  at  once  that  when  he  is  shut 
out  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  when  he  does  not  hear 
his  voice,  sees  not  his  face,  receives  not  the  ministering  of 
his  angels  or  ministering  spirits,  and  has  no  messenger 
from  the  heavens  to  visit  him,  he  must  surely  be  in  hell 
2.137. 

Were  the  wicked,  in  their  sins,  under  the  necessity  of 
walking  into  the  presence  %f  the  Father  and  Son,  hand-in- 
hand  with  those  who  believe  that  all  will  be  saved — that 
Jesus  will  leave  none,  their  condition  would  be  more  ex- 
cruciating and  unendurable  than  to  dwell  in  the  lake  that 
burns  with  fire  and  brimstone.  The  fatalist's  doctrine  con- 
signs to  hell  the  infant  not  a  span  long,  while  the  adulterer, 
whoremonger,  thief,  liar,  false  swearer,  murderer,  and  every 
other  abominable  character,  if  they  but  repent  on  the  gal- 
lows or  their  death-beds,  are,  by  the  same  doctrine,  forced 
into  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  which,  could 
they  enter  there,  would  be  a  hell  to  them.  8  -153-4 

There  is  not  a  man  or  woman,  who  violates  the  cove- 
nants made  with  their  God,  that  will  not  be  required  to  pay 
the  debt.  The  blood  of  Christ  will  never  wipe  that  out,  your 
own  blood  must  atone  for  it;  and  the  judgments  of  the  Al- 
mighty will  come,  sooner  or  later,  and  every  man  and 
woman  will  have  to  atone  for  breaking  their  covenants.  To 
what  degree?  Will  they  have  to  go  to  hell?  They  are  in 
hell  enough  now.  I  do  not  $ish  them  in  a  greater  hell, 


590  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

when  their  consciences  condemn  them  all  the  time  Let 
compassion  reign  in  our  bosoms.  Try  to  comprehend  how 
weak  we  are,  how  we  are  organized,  how  the  spirit  and  the 
flesh  are  continually  at  war  3  247. 

Will  I  prophesy  evil?  No.  Let  us  prophesy  good.  But 
the  justice  and  mercy  of  God  must  have  their  demands 
8:195. 

The  Second  Death— What  is  that  we  call  death,  com- 
pared to  the  agonies  of  the  second  death?  If  people  could 
see  it,  as  Joseph  and  Sidney  saw  it,  they  would  pray  that 
the  vision  be  closed  up ;  for  they  could  not  endure  the  sight 
Neither  could  they  endure  the  sight  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  in  their  glory,  for  it  would  consume  them  18 .217. 

It  is  a  curious  idea,  but  one  in  favor  of  which  there  is 
much  testimony,  that  when  people  take  the  downward  road, 
one  that  is  calculated  to  destroy  them,  they  will  actually  in 
every  sense  of  the  word  be  destroyed.  Will  they  be  what 
is  termed  annihilated?  No,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an- 
nihilation, for  you  cannot  destroy  the  elements  of  which 
things  are  made.  2  302. 

None  will  be  lost  or  turned  away  except  those  who  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost.  16 .32. 

Measure  of  Human  Judgment— Every  man  and  woman 
has  got  to  have  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  to  execute 
judgment,  else  they  had  better  let  the  matter  alone.  3  '247 

I  have  a  certain  knowledge  within  me  that  the  Elders  of 
Israel  will  never  be  permitted  to  lay  judgment  to  the  line 
and  righteousness  to  the  plummet,  with  regard  to  the 
wicked  and  ungodly,  until  they  understand  righteous  prin- 
ciples, and  live  to  them.  7:46 

You  may  judge  of  the  truth  you  hear  today  and  of  that 
which  you  will  hear  in  times  to  come;  for  we  shall  be  judges 


ETERNAL  JUDGMENT  591 

of  ourselves  as  well  as  of  our  enemies,  and  we  shall  a]  so 
judge  angels.    5.258. 

When  the  judgment  is  given  to  the  Saints,  it  will  be  be- 
cause of  their  righteousness,  because  they  will  judge  even 
as  the  angels  and  as  the  Gods,  and  not  as  the  wicked  do. 
19:7. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 
SALVATION 

Universal  Salvation — Salvation  is  the  full  existence  of 
man,  of  the  angels,  and  the  Gods ;  it  is  eternal  life — the  life 
which  was,  which  is,  and  which  is  to  come.  And  we,  as 
human  beings,  are  heirs  to  all  this  life,  if  we  apply  ourselves 
strictly  to  obey  the  requirements  of  the  law  of  God,  and 
continue  in  faithfulness.  12:111. 

The  economy  of  heaven  is  to  gather  in  all,  and  save 
everybody  who  can  be  saved.  11:262. 

People  should  understand  that  there  is  no  man  born 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth  but  what  can  be  saved  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  if  he  is  disposed  to  be.  8 :160. 

I  have  heard  a  great  many  sermons,  prayers  and  ex- 
hortations for  people  to  go  and  get  religion  and  have  their 
names  written  in  the  "Lamb's  Book  of  Life."  I  want  to 
inform  the  whole  world,  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
Adam,  that  their  names  are  written  there,  and  there  they 
will  remain  to  all  eternity  unless  they  by  their  evil  acts 
blot  them  out.  13 :149. 

There  never  was  any  person  over-saved;  all  who  have 
been  saved,  and  that  ever  will  be  in  the  future,  are  only  just 
saved,  and  then  it  is  not  without  a  struggle  to  overcome, 
that  calls  into  exercise  every  energy  of  the  soul.  2:132. 

All  that  have  lived  or  will  live  on  this  earth  will  have 
the  privilege  of  receiving  the  Gospel.  They  will  have  Apos- 
tles, Prophets,  ,and  ministers  there,  as  we  have  here,  to 
guide  them  in  the  ways  of  truth  and  righteousness,  and 
lead  them  back  to  God.  All  will  have  a  chance  for  salva- 
tion and  eternal  life.  6:149. 


SALVATION  593 

If  our  faith  is  one,  and  we  are  united  to  gain  one  grand 
object,  and  I,  as  an  individual,  can  possibly  get  into  the 
celestial  kingdom,  you  and  every  other  person,  by  the  same 
rule,  can  also  enter  there  2  132. 

How  many  shall  be  preserved?  All  who  do  not  deny 
and  defy  the  power  and  character  of  the  Son  of  God — all 
who  do  not  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  6  292. 

The  heathen  nations  that  now  exist  and  that  have  existed 
on  the  earth  will  all  be  blessed,  will  see  the  time  when  they 
will  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  the  blessings  of  the  cove- 
nant established  on  the  earth  by  the  Son  of  God,  and 
through  it  will  be  brought  into  glory  and  rest  8  83. 

The  names  of  every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam  are  al- 
ready written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life.  Is  there  ever  a 
time  when  they  will  be  taken  out  of  it?  Yes,  when  they  be- 
come sons  of  perdition,  and  not  till  then.  Every  person  has 
the  privilege  of  retaining  it  there  for  ever  and  ever  If  they 
neglect  that  privilege,  then  their  names  will  be  erased,  and 
not  till  then.  All  the  names  of  the  human  family  are  writ- 
ten there,  and  the  Lord  will  hold  them  there  until  they 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  that  they  can  rebel 
against  him,  and  can  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost ;  then  they 
will  be  thrust  down  to  hell,  and  their  names  be  blotted  out 
from  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life.  6:297. 

Now,  the  inquiry  on  our  minds  is,  are  all  the  world 
going  to  share  in  these  blessings  ?  Yes,  all  the  world.  Are 
there  none  going  to  be  lost?  Are  there  none  going  to  suffer 
the  wrath  of  the  Almighty?  I  can  say,  in  the  first  place,  as 
I  have  said  all  my  life,  where  I  have  been  preaching,  I  never 
had  the  spirit  to  preach  hell  and  damnation  to  the  people.  I 
have  tried  a  great  many  times — I  tried  last  Sabbath,  and  I 
have  tried  today  to  come  to  that  point — the  sufferings  of 


594  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  wicked.  They  will  suffer,  it  seems ,  but  I  cannot  get  my 
heart  upon  anything  else,  only  salvation  for  the  people.  All 
nations  are  going  to  share  in  these  blessings ;  all  are  incor- 
porated in  the  redemption  of  the  Savior  He  has  tasted 
death  for  every  man ,  they  are  all  in  his  power,  and  he  saves 
them  all,  as  he  says,  except  the  sons  of  perdition ;  and  the 
Father  has  put  all  the  creations  upon  this  earth  in  his  power 
The  earth  itself,  and  mankind  upon  it,  the  brute  beasts,  the 
fish  of  the  sea,  and  the  fowls  of  heaven,  the  insects,  and 
every  creeping  thing,  with  all  things  pertaining  to  this 
earthly  ball,— all  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Savior,  and  he 
has  redeemed  them  all.  6,296-297. 

Where  God  and  Christ  dwell,  that  is  a  kingdom  of  itself 
— the  celestial  kingdom.  7  288. 

How  many  Gods  there  are,  and  how  many  places  there 
are  in  their  kmdgoms,  is  not  for  me  to  say;  but  I  can  say 
this,  which  is  a  source  of  much  comfort,  consolation,  and 
gratification  to  me:  Behold  the  goodness,  the  long-suffer- 
ing, the  kindness,  and  the  strong  parental  feeling  of  our 
Father  and  God  m  preparing  the  way  and  providing  the 
means  to  save  the  children  of  men— not  alone  the  Latter- 
day  Saints — not  alone  those  who  have  the  privilege  of  the 
first  principles  of  the  celestial  law,  but  to  save  all.  It  is  a 
universal  salvation— a  universal  redemption.  8  '35. 

It  will  be  a  pleasure  to  know  that  we  have  saved  all  the 
Father  gave  into  our  power.  Jesus  said  that  he  lost  none 
except  the  sons  of  perdition  He  will  lose  none  of  his 
brethren,  except  sons  of  perdition.  Let  us  save  all  the 
Father  puts  in  our  power.  9 .124 

All  heaven  is  anxious  that  the  people  should  be  saved 
The  heavens  weep  over  the  people,  because  of  their  hard- 


SALVATION  595 

heartedness,  unbelief,  and  slowness  to  believe  and  act. 
4:196 

Our  religion  is  adapted  to  the  capacity  of  the  whole 
human  family.  It  does  not  send  a  portion  of  the  people  to 
howl  in  torment  for  ever  and  ever,  but  it  reaches  after  the 
last  son  and  daughter  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  will  pluck 
them  from  the  prison,  unlock  the  doors,  and  burst  the  bonds 
and  bring  forth  every  soul  who  will  receive  salvation. 
12.309 

The  salvation  that  Jesus  has  purchased  will  reach  the 
whole  human  family  and  save,  in  a  kingdom  or  in  some 
place  where  they  will  enjoy  to  the  extent  of  their  capacity, 
those  who  reject  not  the  Gospel  and  despise  not  the  Savior 
14  133 

There  is  a  chance  for  those  who  have  lived  and  for  those 
who  now  live.  The  Gospel  has  come.  Truth  and  light  and 
righteousness  are  sent  forth  into  the  world,  and  those  who 
receive  them  will  be  saved  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of  God. 
And  many  of  those  who,  through  ignorance,  through  tradi- 
tion, superstition,  and  the  erroneous  precepts  of  the  fathers, 
do  not  receive  them,  will  yet  inherit  a  good  and  glorious 
kingdom,  and  will  enjoy  more  and  receive  more  than  ever 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  unless  he  has  had 
a  revelation  8  '36. 

The  Way  to  Salvation— You  will  be  no  more  perfect  in 
your  sphere,  when  you  are  exalted  to  thrones,  principalities, 
and  powers,  than  you  are  required  to  be  and  are  capable  of 
being  m  your  sphere  today.  6 .99. 

No  man  will  be  saved  and  come  into  the  presence  of  the 
Father,  only*  through  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — the  same 
for  one  as  the  other.  The  Lord  has  his  cause,  his  ways,  his 
work ;  he  will  finish  it  up.  Jesus  is  laboring  with  his  might 


596  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  sanctify  and  redeem  the  earth  and  to  bring  back  his 
brethren  and  sisters  into  the  presence  of  the  Father.  We 
are  laboring  with  him  for  the  purification  of  the  whole 
human  family,  that  we  and  they  may  be  prepared  to  dwell 
with  God  in  his  Kingdom  13  150 

No  matter  what  the  outward  appearance  is — if  I  can 
know  of  a  truth  that  the  hearts  of  the  people  are  fully  set 
to  do  the  will  of  their  Father  in  Heaven,  though  they  may 
falter  and  do  a  great  many  things  through  the  weaknesses 
of  human  nature,  yet  they  will  be  saved.  5 :256 

And  if  we  accept  salvation  on  the  terms  it  is  offered  to 
us,  we  have  got  to  be  honest  in  every  thought,  in  our  re- 
flections, in  our  meditations,  in  our  private  circles,  in  our 
deal,  in  our  declarations,  and  in  every  act  of  our  lives,  fear- 
less and  regardless  of  every  principle  of  error,  of  every  prin- 
ciple of  falsehood  that  may  be  presented.  5 :124. 

To  look  for  salvation  fifty  years  hence  and  do  nothing 
for  salvation  at  the  present  time  is  preposterous.  God  has 
placed  the  means  of  salvation  within  our  reach,  and  the 
volition  of  the  creature  is  at  his  own  disposal  When  his 
sons  and  daughters  avail  themselves  of  the  means  he  has 
supplied  for  their  salvation,  doing  good  for  themselves,  it  is 
gratifying  to  him.  10:221. 

Salvation  an  Individual  Work— Though  our  interest  is 
one  as  a  people,  yet  remember,  salvation  is  an  individual 
work,  it  is  every  person  for  himself.  I  mean  more  by  this 
than  I  have  time  to  tell  you  in  full,  but  I  will  give  you  a 
hint.  There  are  those  in  this  Church  who  calculate  to  be 
saved  by  the  righteousness  of  others.  They  will  miss  their 
mark.  They  are  those  who  will  arrive  just  as  the  gate  is 
shut,  so  in  that  case  you  may  be  shut  out ,  then  you  will  call 
upon  some  one,  who,  by  their  own  faithfulness,  through  the 


SALVATION  597 

mercy  of  Jesus  Christ,  have  entered  in  through  the  celes- 
tial gate,  to  come  and  open  it  for  you ;  but  to  do  this  is  not 
their  province.  Such  will  be  the  fate  of  those  persons  who 
vainly  hope  to  be  saved  upon  the  righteousness  and  through 
the  influence  of  Bi  other  Somebody.  I  forewarn  you  there- 
fore to  cultivate  righteousness  and  faithfulness  m  your- 
selves, which  is  the  only  passport  into  celestial  happiness. 
2  132. 

If  Brother  Brigham  shall  take  a  wrong  track,  and  be  shut 
out  of  the  Kingdom  of  heaven,  no  person  will  be  to  blame 
but  Brother  Brigham  I  am  the  only  being  in  heaven,  earth, 
or  hell,  that  can  be  blamed. 

This  will  equally  apply  to  every  Latter-day  Saint  Salva- 
tion is  an  individual  operation.  I  am  the  only  person  that 
can  possibly  save  myself  When  salvation  is  sent  to  me, 
I  can  reject  or  receive  it  In  receiving  it,  I  yield  implicit 
obedience  and  submission  to  its  great  Author  throughout 
my  life,  and  to  those  whom  he  shall  appoint  to  instruct  me ; 
m  rejecting  it,  I  follow  the  dictates  of  my  own  will  in  pref- 
erence to  the  will  of  my  Creator.  There  are  those  among 
this  people  who  are  influenced,  controlled,  and  biased  in 
their  thoughts,  actions,  and  feelings  by  some  other  in- 
dividual or  family,  on  whom  they  place  their  dependence 
for  spiritual  and  temporal  instruction,  and  for  salvation  in 
the  end.  These  persons  do  not  depend  upon  themselves  for 
salvation,  but  upon  another  of  their  poor,  weak,  fellow 
mortals.  1 :312. 

Many  Degrees  o£  Salvation, — When  God  revealed  to 
Joseph  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon  that  there  was  a  place 
prepared  for  all,  according  to  the  light  they  had  received 
and  their  rejection  of  evil  and  practice  of  good,  it  was  a 
great  trial  to  many,  and  some  apostatized  because  God  was 


598  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

not  going  to  send  to  everlasting  punishment  heathens  and 
infants,  but  had  a  place  of  salvation,  in  due  time,  for  all, 
and  would  bless  the  honest  and  virtuous  and  truthful, 
whether  they  ever  belonged  to  any  church  or  not  It  was 
a  new  doctrine  to  this  generation,  and  many  stumbled  at  it 
1642 

These  words  set  forth  the  fact  to  which  Jesus  referred 
when  he  said,  "In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions  " 
How  many  I  am  not  prepared  to  say;  but  here  are  three  dis- 
tinctly spoken  of  the  celestial,  the  highest,  the  terrestrial, 
the  next  below  it ,  and  the  telestial,  the  third.  If  we  were  to 
take  the  pains  to  read  what  the  Lord  has  said  to  his  people 
in  the  latter  days  we  should  find  that  he  has  made  provi- 
sion for  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth ;  every  creature  who 
desires,  and  who  strives  in  the  least,  to  overcome  evil  and 
subdue  iniquity  within  himself  or  herself,  and  to  live 
worthy  of  a  glory,  will  possess  one.  We  who  have  received 
the  fulness  of  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  or  the  Kingdom 
of  heaven  that  has  come  to  earth,  are  in  possession  of  those 
laws,  ordinances,  commandments  and  revelations  that  will 
prepare  us,  by  strict  obedience,  to  inherit  the  celestial  king- 
dom, to  go  into  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son 
14  148, 

There  are  millions  and  millions  of  kingdoms  that  the 
people  have  no  conception  of  The  Christians  of  the  day 
have  no  knowledge  of  God,  of  godliness,  of  eternity,  of  the 
worlds  that  are,  and  that  have  been,  and  that  are  coming 
forth  There  are  myriads  of  people  pertaining  to  this  earth 
who  will  come  up  and  receive  a  glory  according  to  their 
capacity.  6  347 

Is  it  not  a  glorious  thought  that  there  are  kingdoms, 
mansions  of  glory  and  comfortable  habitations  prepared  for 


SALVATION  599 

all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam,  except  the  sons  of 
perdition?  All  will  not, have  part  m  the  first  resurrection, 
and  perhaps  many  will  not  appear  in  the  second,  but  all  will 
be  resurrected,  and,  except  the  sons  of  perdition,  enter  king- 
doms, the  least  of  which  I  presume  is  more  glorious  than 
ever  John  Wesley  saw  in  vision.  8  196-197. 

Exaltation  Proportioned  to  Capacity — The  man  or  wom- 
an who  lives  worthily  is  now  in  a  state  of  salvation.  1  6 

Is  eveiy  man  and  woman  capable  of  receiving  the  high- 
est glory  of  God  ?  No,  9.104. 

Are  all  spirits  endowed  alike?  No,  not  by  any  means. 
Will  all  be  equal  in  the  celestial  kingdoms?  No,  Some 
spirits  are  more  noble  than  others ;  some  are  capable  of  re- 
ceiving more  than  others.  There  is  the  same  variety  in  the 
spirit  world  that  you  behold  here,  yet  they  are  of  the  same 
parentage,  of  one  Father,  one  God.  4.268, 

Some  are  not  capable  of  the  same  exaltation  as  are 
others,  arising  from  the  difference  in  the  conduct  and  capac- 
ities of  people.  There  is  also  a  difference  in  the  spirit 
world.  It  is  the  design,  the  wish,  the  will,  and  mind  of  the 
Lord  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  should  be  exalted  to 
thrones,  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  powers,  according  to 
their  capacities  In  their  exaltation,  one  may  be  capable  of 
presiding  over  ten  cities,  while  another  may  not  be  capable 
of  presiding  over  more  than  five,  another  over  only  two,  and 
another  over  but  one.  They  must  all  first  be  subjected  to 
sin  and  to  the  calamities  of  mortal  flesh,  in  order  to  prove 
themselves  worthy;  then  the  Gospel  is  ready  to  take  hold 
of  them  and  bring  them  up,  unite  them,  enlighten  their  un- 
derstandings, and  make  them  one  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  that 
their  faith,  prayers,  hopes,  affections,  and  all  their  desires 
may  ever  be  concentrated  in  one.  6 :97 


600  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

The  Celestial  Kingdom— The  celestial  is  the  highest  of 
all.  The  tele'stial  and  terrestrial  are  also  spoken  of;  and 
how  many  more  kingdoms  of  glory  there  are,  is  not  for  me 
to  say  I  do  not  know  that  they  are  not  innumerable.  This 
is  a  source  of  great  joy  to  me.  8:35 

The  Kingdom  that  this  people  are  m  pertains  to  the  celes- 
tial kingdom ,  it  is  a  Kingdom  in  which  we  can  prepare  to  go 
into  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  8  197 

The  men  and  women,  who  desire  to  obtain  seats  in  the 
celestial  kingdom,  will  find  that  they  must  battle  every  day 
11  14. 

As  for  a  person  being  saved  in  the  celestial  kingdom  of 
God  without  being  prepared  to  dwell  in  a  pure  and  holy 
place,  it  is  all  nonsense  and  ridiculous ;  and  if  there  be  any 
who  think  they  can  gain  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the 
Son  by  fighting  for,  instead  of  living,  their  religion,  they  will 
be  mistaken,  consequently  the  quicker  we  make  up  our 
minds  to  live  our  religion  the  better  it  will  be  for  us.  14  157. 

Who  can  define  the  divinity  of  man?  Only  those  who 
understand  the  true  principles  of  eternity — the  principles 
that  pertain  to  life  and  salvation  Man,  by  being  exalted, 
does  not  lose  the  power  and  ability  naturally  given  to  him , 
but,  on  the  contrary,  by  taking  the  road  that  leads  to  life, 
he  gains  more  power,  more  influence  and  ability  during 
every  step  he  progresses  therein  7  274 

Our  spirits,  thousands  of  years  ago,  were  first  begotten , 
and  at  the  consummation  of  all  things,  when  the  Savior 
has  finished  his  work  and  presented  it  to  the  Father,  he 
will  be  crowned  None  of  you  will  receive  your  crowns  of 
glory,  immortality,  and  eternal  lives  before  he  receives  his 
He  will  be  crowned  first,  and  theft  we  shall  be  crowned, 


SALVATION  601 

every  one  in  his  order;  for  the  work  is  finished,  and  the 
spirit  is  complete  in  its  organization  with  the  tabernacle. 
The  world  is  the  first  to  be  redeemed,  and  the  people  last 
to  be  crowned  upon  it.  6 :282, 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD 

Saints  Always  Commanded  to  Build  Temples — We  are 

going  to  build  temples.  This  law  is  given  to  the  children 
of  men.  14:95. 

Concerning  revelations  pertaining  to  building  temples,  I 
will  give  you  the  words  of  our  beloved  Prophet  while  he 
was  yet  living  upon  the  earth.  Many  of  us  that  are  here 
today,  were  with  him  from  the  commencement  of  the 
Church  He  was  frequently  speaking  upon  the  building  of 
temples  in  Kirtland,  Missouri,  and  Illinois  When  the  peo- 
ple refused  in  Kirtland  to  build  a  temple,  unless  by  a  spe- 
cial revelation,  it  grieved  his  heart  that  they  should  be  so 
penurious  in  their  feelings  as  to  require  the  Lord  to  com- 
mand them  to  build  a  house  to  his  name.  It  was  not  only 
grievous  to  him,  but  to  the  Holy  Spirit  also.  He  frequently 
said  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  covetousness  of  the  people, 
the  Lord  would  not  give  revelations  concerning  the  build- 
ing of  temples,  for  we  already  knew  all  about  them;  the 
revelations  giving  us  the  order  of  the  Priesthood  make 
known  to  us  what  is  wanted  in  that  respect  at  our  hands 
1  -277. 

We  that  are  here  are  enjoying  a  privilege  that  we  have 
no  knowledge  of  any  other  people  enjoying  since  the  days 
of  Adam,  that  is,  to  have  a  temple  completed,  wherein  all 
the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  can  be  bestowed  upon 
his  people.  Brethren  and  sisters,  do  you  understand  this? 
It  seems  that  a  great  many  of  the  people  know  nothing 
about  it  It  is  true  that  Solomon  built  a  temple  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  endowments,  but  from  what  we  can  learn  of 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  603 

the  history  of  that  time  they  gave  very  few  if  any  endow- 
ments, and  one  of  the  high  priests  was  murdered  by  wicked 
and  corrupt  men,  who  had  already  begun  to  apostatize,  be- 
cause he  would  not  reveal  those  things  appertaining  to  the 
Priesthood  that  were  forbidden  him  to  reveal  until  he 
came  to  the  proper  place  I  will  not  say  but  what  Enoch 
had  temples  and  officiated  therein,  but  we  have  no  account 
of  it.  We  know  that  he  raised  up  a  people  so  pure  and  holy 
that  they  were  not  permitted  to  remain  with  the  wicked  in- 
habitants of  the  earth,  but  were  taken  to  another  place. 
18  303. 

The  earth,  the  Lord  says,  abides  its  creation;  it  has 
been  baptized  with  water,  and  will,  in  the  future,  be  bap- 
tized with  fire  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  be  prepared  to  go 
back  into  the  celestial  presence  of  God,  with  all  things  that 
dwell  upon  it  which  have,  like  the  earth,  abided  the  law  of 
their  creation.  Taking  this  view  of  the  matter,  it  may  be 
asked  why  we  build  temples  We  build  temples  because 
there  is  not  a  house  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth  that 
has  been  reared  to  God's  name  which  will  in  anywise  com- 
pare with  his  character,  and  that  he  can  consistently  call 
his  house.  There  are  places  on  the  earth  where  the  Lord 
can  come  and  dwell,  if  he  pleases.  They  may  be  found  on 
the  tops  of  high  mountains,  or  in  some  cavern  or  places 
where  sinful  man  has  never  marked  the  soil  with  his  pol- 
luted feet. 

He  requires  his  servants  to  build  him  a  house  that  he 
can  come  to  and  where  he  can  make  known  his  will 
10.252. 

We  enjoy  the  privilege  of  entering  into  a  temple,  built 
to  the  name  of  God,  and  receiving  the  ordinances  of  his 
house,  with  all  the  keys  and  blessings  preparatory  to  enter- 


604  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

ing  into  the  "lives  f  we  also  enjoy  the  privilege  of  admin- 
istering for  our  fathers  and  mothers,  our  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers,  for  those  who  have  slept  without  the  Gospel 
19.22. 

In  the  spirit  world  those  who  have  got  the  victory  go 
on  to  prepare  the  way  for  those  who  live  in  the  flesh,  ful- 
filling the  work  of  saviors  on  Mount  Zion. 

To  accomplish  this  work  there  will  have  to  be  not  only 
one  temple  but  thousands  of  them,  and  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands  of  men  and  women  will  go  into  those  temples 
and  officiate,  for  people  who  have  lived  as  far  back  as  the 
Lord  shall  reveal  If  we  are  faithful  enough  to  go  back 
and  build  that  great  temple  which  Joseph  has  written  about, 
and  should  the  Lord  acknowledge  the  labor  of  his  servants, 
then  watch,  for  you  will  see  somebody  whom  you  have  seen 
before,  and  many  of  you  will  see  him  whom  you  have  not 
seen  before,  but  you  will  know  him  as  soon  as  you  see  him 
3.372 

Temples  Indispensable  for  Higher  Ordinances — In  con- 
sequence of  our  having  been  driven  from  our  homes,  and 
because  of  our  destitute  circumstances,  the  Lord  has  per- 
mitted us  to  do  what  we  have  done,  namely,  to  use  this 
Endowment  House  for  temple  purposes.  But  since,  through 
the  mercies  and  blessings  of  God,  we  are  able  to  build 
temples,  it  is  the  will  and  commandment  of  God  that  we  do 
so.  18-263. 

Do  we  need  a  temple?  We  do,  to  prepare  us  to  enter  in 
through  the  gate  into  the  city  where  the  Saints  are  at  rest 
Ordinances  necessary  to  this  have  not  yet  been  performed 
and  cannot  be  in  the  absence  of  a  suitable  place  We 
wish  a  temple,  not  for  the  public  congregation,  but  for  the 
Priesthood,  wherein  to  arrange  and  organize  fully  the 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  60S 

Priesthood  in  its  order  and  degrees,  to  administer  the  ordi- 
nance of  the  Priesthood  to  the  Saints  for  itheir  exaltation. 
9240. 

We  cannot  now  administer  the  further  ordinances  of 
God,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  legally  unto  the  people, 
neither  shall  we  be  able  to  do  so  until  we  have  a  temple 
built  for  that  purpose.  Some  may  consider  that  I  am  notify- 
ing our  common  foe  in  saying  this,  but  it  is  true,  notwith- 
standing, and  our  common  foe  knows  it.  We  must  be 
situated  in  local  circumstances  wherein  we  can  efficiently 
administer  in  those  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  that 
cannot  be  administered  to  a  people  while  they  are  scat- 
tered abroad  among  the  nations  of  the  wicked.  12:162. 

There  are  some  of  the  sealing  ordinances  that  cannot  be 
administered  in  the  house  that  we  are  now  using,  we  can 
only  administer  in  it  some  of  the  first  ordinances  of  the 
Priesthood  pertaining  to  the  endowment.  There  are  more 
advanced  ordinances  that  cannot  be  administered  there ;  we 
would,  therefore,  like  a  temple,  but  I  am  willing  to  wait  a 
few  years  for  it.  I  want  to  see  the  temple  built  in  a  man- 
ner that  it  will  endure  through  the  Millennium.  This  is  not 
the  only  temple  we  shall  build;  there  will  be  hundreds  of 
them  built  and  dedicated  to  the  Lord,  This  temple  will  be 
known  as  the  first  temple  built  in  the  mountains  by  the 
Latter-day  Saints."  And  when  the  Millennium  is  over,  and 
all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  and  Eve,  down  to  the 
last  of  their  posterity,  who  come  within  the  reach  of  the 
clemency  of  the  Gospel,  have  been  redeemed  in  hundreds 
of  temples  through  tlie  administration  of  their  children  as 
proxies  for  them,  I  want  that  temple  still  to  stand  as  a  proud 
monument  of  the  faith,  perseverance  and  industry  of  the 
Saints  of  God  in  the  mountains,  in  the  nineteenth  century. 
10  254. 


606  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

We  have  often  told  you  that  we  want  to  build  a  temple, 
but  not  for  convening  promiscuous  congregations  I  in- 
form you,  long  before  you  see  the  walls  reared  and  the 
building  completed,  that  it  will  be  for  the  purposes  of  the 
Priesthood,  and  not  for  meetings  of  the  people ,  we  shall  not 
hold  public  meetings  in  it  I  should  like  to  see  the  temple 
built,  in  which  you  will  see  the  Priesthood  in  its  order  and 
true  organization,  each  Quorum  in  its  place.  8*202-203 

Endowments  Given  in  Temples— The  commandments 
contained  in  the  New  Testament  with  regard  to  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  house  of  God  are  obligatory  upon  us.  13  314 

Every  individual  who  is  prepared  for  the  celestial  king- 
dom must  go  through  the  same  things.  3  195. 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  Saints  should  receive 
the  further  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  before  this  short 
existence  shall  come  to  a  close,  that  they  may  be  prepared 
and  fully  able  to  pass  all  the  sentinels  leading  into  the  celes- 
tial kingdom  and  into  the  presence  of  God.  12  163-4. 

Then  go  on  and  build  the  temples  of  the  Lord,  that  you 
may  receive  the  endowments  m  store  for  you,  and  possess 
the  keys  of  the^  eternal  Priesthood,  that  you  may  receive 
every  word,  sign,  and  token,  and  be  made  acquainted  with 
the  laws  of  angels,  and  of  the  kingdom  of  our  Father  and 
our  God,  and  know  how  to  pass  from  one  degree  to  another, 
and  enter  fully  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.  2 :315. 

Some  of  us  are  next  dependent  on  the  temple  for  our  en- 
dowment blessings,  for  we  have  received  them  under  the 
hands  of  Joseph  the  Prophet,  and  know  where  to  go  to  be- 
stow the  same  on  others,  You  may  ask  me  whether  the 
leaders  of  this  Church  have  received  all  their  endowment 
blessings,  I  think  that  we  have  got  all  that  you  can  get  in 
your  probation,  if  you  live  to  be  the  age  of  Methuselah ;  and 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  607 

we  can  give  what  we  possess  to  others  who  are  worthy. 
10  254 

A  great  many  of  you  have  had  your  endowments,  and 
you  know  what  a  vote  with  uplifted  hands  means. 

It  is  a  sign  which  you  make  in  token  of  your  covenant 
with  God  and  with  one  another,  and  it  is  for  you  to  per- 
form your  vows  When  you  raise  your  hands  to  heaven 
and  let  them  fall  and  then  pass  on  with  your  covenants  un- 
fulfilled, you  will  be  cursed. 

I  feel  sometimes  like  lecturing  men  and  women  severely 
who  enter  into  covenants  without  realizing  the  nature  of 
the  covenants  they  make,  and  who  use  little  or  no  effort 
to  fulfil  them. 

Some  Elders  go  to  the  nations  and  preach  the  Gospel  of 
life  and  salvation,  and  return  without  thoroughly  under- 
standing the  nature  of  the  covenant  It  is  written  in  the 
Bible  that  every  man  should  perform  his  own  vows,  even 
if  to  his  own  hurt,  in  this  way  you  will  show  to  all  crea- 
tion and  to  God  that  you  are  full  of  integrity.  3  '332. 

Most  of  you,  my  brethren,  are  Elders,  Seventies,  or  High 
Priests,  perhaps  there  is  not  a  Priest  or  Teacher  present 
The  reason  of  this  is  that  when  we  give  the  brethren  their 
endowments,  we  are  obliged  to  confer  upon  them  the  Mel- 
chizedek  Priesthood ,  but  I  expect  to  see  the  day,  when  we 
shall  be  so  situated  that  we  can  say  to  a  company  of  breth- 
ren, You  can  go  and  receive  the  ordinances  pertaining  to  the 
Aaronic  order  of  Priesthood,  and  then  you  can  go  into  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel,  or  do  something  that  will 
prove  whether  you  will  honor  that  Priesthood  before  you 
receive  more.  Now  we  pass  them  through  the  ordinances 
of  both  Priesthoods  in  one  day,  but  this  is  not  as  it  should 
be  and  would,  if  we  had  a  temple  wherein  to  administer 


608  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  yOUNG 

these  ordinances.  But  this  is  all  right  at  present ;  we  should 
not  be  satisfied  in  any  other  way,  and  consequently  we  do 
according  to  the  circumstances  we  are  placed  in.  10:309. 

The  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  are  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  human  family.  We  are  the  only  ones  on  the 
earth  at  the  present  time,  that  we  have  any  knowledge  of, 
who  hold  the  keys  of  salvation  committed  to  the  children 
of  men  from  the  heavens  by  the  Lord  Almighty ;  and  in- 
asmuch as  theie  are  those  who  hold  these  keys,  it  is  impor- 
tant that  they  should  be  acted  upon  for  the  salvation  of  the 
human  family  The  building  of  temples,  places  in  which 
the  ordinances  of  salvation  are  administered,  is  necessary 
to  carry  out  the  plan  of  redemption,  and  it  is  a  glorious 
subject  upon  which  to  address  the  Saints  13  262 

Giving  endowments  to  a  great  many  proves  their  over- 
throw, through  revealing  things  to  them  which  they  can- 
not keep.  They  are  not  worthy  to  receive  them  4  372. 

Were  it  not  for  what  is  revealed  concerning  the  sealing 
ordinances,  children  born  out  of  the  covenant  could  not  be 
sealed  to  their  parents.  18 .249. 

The  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God  are  expressly  for 
the  Church  of  the  Firstborn.  8:154. 

I  would  rather  see  this  people  cleansed,  and  give  the 
righteous  their  endowments  after  they  have  waited  awhile. 
Let  the  poor,  and  those  who  are  humble  before  the  Lord, 
have  the  first  chance.  2 .144. 

Vicarious  Work  for  the  Dead  in  Temples — We  are 
preaching  to  them  the  Gospel  of  Salvation — to  the  dead — 
through  those  who  have  lived  in  this  dispensation.  3  90. 

There  is  an  opportunity  for  men  who  are  in  the  spirit  to 
receive  the  Gospel.  Jesus,  while  his  body  lay  in  the  grave 
two  nights  and  one  day,  went  to  the  world  of  spirits  to 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  609 

show  the  brethren  how  they  should  build  up  the  kingdom, 
and  bring  spirits  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  in  the  spirit 
world,  he  went  to  set  them  the  pattern  there,  as  he  had 
done  on  this  earth.  Hence  you  perceive  that  there,  spirits 
have  the  privilege  of  embracing  the  truth 

You  may  ask  if  they  are  baptized  there  •*  No  Can  they 
have  hands  laid  upon  them  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 
No.  None  of  the  outward  ordinances  that  pertain  to  the 
flesh  are  administered  there,  but  the  light,  glory,  and  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  enjoyed  just  as  freely  as  upon  this 
earth;  and  there  are  laws  which  govern  and  control  the 
spirit  world,  and  to  which  they  are  subject  2:138 

Now  a  few  words  to  the  brethren  and  sisters  upon  the 
doctrine  and  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God.  All  who  have 
lived  on  the  earth  according  to  the  best  light  they  had,  and 
would  have  received  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel  had  it  been 
preached  to  them,  are  worthy  of  a  glorious  resurrection, 
and  will  attain  to  this  by  being  administered  for,  in  the  flesh, 
by  those  who  have  the  authority.  All  others  will  have  a 
resurrection,  and  receive  a  glory,  except  those  who  have 
sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost  It  is  supposed  by  this  peo- 
ple that  we  have  all  the  ordinances  in  our  possession  for 
life  and  salvation,  and  exaltation,,  and  that  we  are  admin- 
istering in  these  ordinances.  This  is  not  the  case  We  are 
in  possession  of  all  the  ordinances  that  can  be  administered 
in  the  flesh;  but  there  are  other  ordinances  and  adminis- 
trations that  must  be  administered  beyond  this  world  I 
know  you  would  ask  what  they  are.  I  will  mention  one. 
We  have  not,  neither  can  we  receive  here,  the  ordinance 
and  the  keys  of  the  resurrection.  They  will  be  given  to 
those  who  have  passed  off  this  stage  of  action  and  have  re- 
ceived their  bodies  again,  as  many  have  already  done  and 


610  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

many  more  will.  They  will  be  ordained,  by  those  who  hold 
the  keys  of  the  resurrection,  to  go  forth  and  resurrect  the 
Saints,  just  as  we  receive  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  then 
the  keys  of  authority  to  baptize  others  for  the  remission  of 
their  sins  This  is  one  of  the  ordinances  we  cannot  receive 
here,  and  there  are  many  more  We  hold  the  authority  to 
dispose  of,  alter  and  change  the  elements ;  but  we  have  not 
received  authority  to  organize  native  element,  to  even  make 
a  spear  of  grass  grow 

We  have  no  such  ordinance  here.  We  organize  accord- 
ing to  men  in  the  flesh  By  combining  the  elements  and 
planting  the  seed,  we  cause  vegetables,  trees,  grains,  etc , 
to  come  forth  We  are  organizing  a  Kingdom  here  accord- 
ing to  the  pattern 'that  the  Lord  has  given  for  people  in  the 
flesh,  but  not  for  those  who  have  leceived  the  resurrection, 
although  it  is  a  similitude  Another  item  We  have  not 
the  power  in  the  flesh  to  create  and  bring  forth  or  produce 
a  spirit ,  but  we  have  the  power  to  produce  a  temporal  body  ; 
the  germ  of  this,  God  has  placed  within  us  And  when  our 
spirits  receive  our  bodies,  and  through  our  faithfulness  we 
are  worthy  to  be  crowned,  we  will  then  receive  authority  to 
produce  both  spirit  and  body.  But  these  keys  we  cannot 
receive  in  the  flesh  Herein,  brethren,  you  can  perceive 
that  we  have  not  finished,  and  cannot  finish  our  work, 
while  we  live  here,  no  more  than  Jesus  did  while  he  was  in 
the  flesh. 

We  cannot  receive,  while  in  the  flesh,  the  keys  to  form 
and  fashion  kingdoms  and  to  organize  matter,  for  they  are 
beyond  our  capacity  and  calling,  beyond  this  world  In  the 
•  resurrection,  men  who  have  been  faithful  and  diligent  in  all 
things  in  the  flesh,  have  kept  their  first  and  second  estate, 
and  are  worthy  to  be  crowned  Gods,  even  the  Sons  of  God, 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  611 

will  be  ordained  to  organize  matter.  How  much  matter  do 
you  suppose  there  is  between  here  and  some  of  the  fixed  stars 
which  we  can  see  ?  Enough  to  frame  many,  very  many  mil- 
lions of  such  earths  as  this,  yet  it  is  now  so  diffused,  clear 
and  pure,  that  we  look  through  it  and  behold  the  stars,  Yet 
the  matter  is  there  Can  you  form  any  conception  of  this  ? 
Can  you  form  any  idea  of  the  minuteness  of  matter?  15 .136 

Do  you  recollect  that  in  about  the  year  1840-41,  Joseph 
had  a  revelation  concerning  the  dead?  He  had  been  asked 
the  question  a  good  many  times .  "What  is  the  condition  of 
the  dead,  those  that  lived  and  died  without  the  Gospel?"  It 
was  a  matter  of  inquiry  with  him  He  considered  this  ques- 
tion for  himself,  and  for  the  brethren  and  the  Church,"What 
is  the  condition  of  the  dead?  What  will  be  their  fate?  Is 
there  no  way  today  by  which  they  can  receive  their  bless- 
ings as  there  was  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and  when  the 
Gospel  was  preached  upon  the  earth  in  ancient  days?" 
When  Joseph  received  the  revelation  that  we  have  in  our 
possession  concerning  the  dead,  the  subject  was  opened  to 
him,  not  in  full,  but  in  part,  and  he  kept  on  receiving 
When  he  had  first  received  the  knowledge  by  the  spirit  of 
revelation  how  the  dead  could  be  officiated  for,  there  are 
brethren  and  sisters  here,  I  can  see  quite  a  number  here  who 
were  in  Nauvoo,  and  you  recollect  that  when  this  doctrine 
was  first  revealed,  and  in  hurrying  in  the  administration  of 
baptism  for  the  dead,  that  sisters  were  baptized  for  their 
male  friends,  were  baptized  for  their  fathers,  their  grand- 
fathers, their  mothers  and  their  grandmothers,  etc.  I  just 
mention  this  so  that  you  will  come  to  understanding,  that 
as  we  knew  nothing  about  this  matter  at  first,  the  old  Saints 
recollect,  there  was  little  by  little  given,  and  the  subject  was 
made  plain,  but  little  was  given  at  once.  Consequently,  in 


612  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  first  place  people  were  baptized  for  their  friends  and  no 
record  was  kept  Joseph  afterwards  kept  a  record  Then 
women  were  baptized  for  men  and  men  for  women,  etc  It 
would  be  very  strange,  you  know,  to  the  eyes  of  the  wise 
and  those  that  understood  the  things  pertaining  to  eternity, 
if  we  were  called  upon  to  commence  a  work  that  we  could 
not  finish  This,  therefore,  was  regulated  and  all  set  in 
order;  for  it  was  revealed  that  if  a  woman  was  baptized  for 
a  man,  she  could  not  be  ordained  for  him,  neither  could  she 
be  made  an  Apostle  or  a  Patriarch  for  the  man,  conse- 
quently the  sisters  are  to  be  baptized  for  their  own  sex  only 
This  doctrine  of  baptism  for  the  dead  is  a  great  doc- 
trine, one  of  the  most  glorious  doctrines  that  was  revealed 
to  the  human  family;  and  there  are  light,  power,  glory, 
honor  and  immortality  in  it.  16 '165. 

There  are  many  of  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God 
that  must  be  performed  in  a  temple  that  is  erected  ex- 
pressly for  the  purpose.  There  are  other  ordinances  that 
we  can  administer  without  a  temple  You  know  that  there 
are  some  which  you  have  received — baptism,  the  laying  on 
of  hands  for  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  such  as  the  speak- 
ing in  and  interpretation  of  tongues,  prophesying,  healing, 
discerning  of  spirits,  etc ,  and  many  blessings  bestowed  up- 
on the  people,  we  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  without  a 
temple.  There  are  other  blessings,  that  will  not  be  received, 
and  ordinances  that  will  not  be  performed  according  to  the 
law  that  the  Lord  has  revealed,  without  their  being  done  in 
a  temple  prepared  for  that  purpose.  We  can,  at  the  present 
time,  go  into  the  Endowment  House  and  be  baptized  for  the 
dead,  receive  our  washings  and  anointing,  etc,  for  there 
we  have  a  font  that  has  been  erected,  dedicated  expressly 
for  baptizing  people  for  the  remission  of  sins,  for  their 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  613 

health  and  for  their  dead  friends;  in  this  the  Saints  have 
the  privilege  of  being  baptized  for  their  friends  We  also 
have  the  privilege  of  sealing  women  to  men,  without  a 
temple  This  we  can  do  in  the  Endowment  House;  but 
when  we  come  to  other  sealing  ordinances,  ordinances  per- 
taining to  the  holy  Priesthood,  to  connect  the  chain  of  the 
Priesthood  from  Father  Adam  until  now,  by  sealing  chil- 
dren to  their  parents,  being  sealed  for  our  forefathers,  etc , 
they  cannot  be  done  without  a  temple.  When  the  ordi- 
nances are  carried  out  in  the  temples  that  will  be  erected, 
men  will  be  sealed  to  their  fathers,  and  those  who  have  slept, 
clear  up  to  Father  Adam.  This  will  have  to  be  done,  because 
of  the  chain  of  the  Priesthood  being  broken  upon  the  earth 
The  Priesthood  has  left  the  people,  but  in  the  first  place 
the  people  left  the  Priesthood  They  transgressed  the  laws, 
changed  the  ordinance,  and  broke  the  everlasting  covenant, 
and  the  Priesthood  left  them;  but  not  until  they  had  left 
the  Priesthood  This  Priesthood  has  been  restored  again, 
and  by  its  authority  we  shall  be  connected  with  our  fathers, 
by  the  ordinance  of  sealing,  until  we  shall  form  a  perfect 
chain  from  Father  Adam  down  to  the  closing  up  scene. 
This  ordinance  will  not  be  performed  anywhere  but  in  a 
temple;  neither  will  children  be  sealed  to  their  living 
parents  in  any  other  place  than  a  temple.  For  instance,  a 
man  and  his  wife  come  into  the  Church,  and  they  have  a 
family  of  children.  These  children  have  been  begotten  out 
of  the  covenant,  because  the  marriage  of  their  parents  is 
not  recognized  by  the  Lord  as  performed  by  his  authority , 
they  have,  therefore,  to  be  sealed  to  their  parents,  or  else 
they  cannot  claim  them  in  eternity ;  they  will  be  distributed 
according  to  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord,  who  does  all  things 
right.  When  we  had  a  temple  prepared  in  Nauvoo,  many 


514  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

of  the  brethren  had  their  children,  who  were  out  of  the  cove- 
nant, sealed  to  them,  and  endowments  were  given  Then 
parents,  after  receiving  their  endowments  and  being  sealed 
for  time  and  eternity,  and  they  have  other  children ,  they  are 
begotten  and  born  under  the  covenant,  and  they  are  the 
rightful  heirs  'to  the  kingdom,  they  possess  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  Children  bora  unto  parents,  before  the  latter 
enter  into  the  fulness  of  the  covenants,  have  to  be  sealed 
to  them  in  a  temple  to  become  legal  heirs  of  the  Priest- 
hood, It  is  true  they  can  receive  the  ordinances,  they  can 
receive  their  endowments,  and  be  blessed  in  common  with 
their  parents;  but  still  the  parents  cannot  claim  them 
legally  and  lawfully  in  eternity  unless  they  are  sealed  to 
them.  Yet  the  chain  would  not  be  complete  without  this 
sealing  ordinance  being  performed. 

Now,  to  illustrate  this,  I  will  refer  to  my  own  father's 
family.  My  father  died  before  the  endowments  were  given. 
None  of  his  children  have  been  sealed  to  him  If  you  recol- 
lect, you  that  were  in  Nauvoo,  we  were  very  much  hurried 
in  the  little  time  we  spent  there  after  the  temple  was  built 
The  mob  was  there  ready  to  destroy  us;  they  were  ready  to 
burn  our  houses,  they  had  been  doing  it  for  a  long  time ,  but 
we  finished  the  temple  according  to  the  commandment  that 
was  given  to  Joseph,  and  then  took  our  departure.  Our 
time,  therefore,  was  short,  and  we  had  no  time  to  attend  to 
this  My  father's  children,  consequently,  have  not  been 
sealed  to  him,  Perhaps  all  of  his  sons  may  go  into  eternity, 
into  the  spirit  world,  before  this  can  be  attended  to;  but 
this  will  make  no  difference;  the  heirs  of  the  family  will 
attend  to  this  if  it  is  not  for  a  hundred  years 

It  will  have  to  be  done  sometime.  If,  however,  we  get 
a  temple  prepared  before  the  sons  of  my  father  shall  all 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  615 

have  gone  into  the  spirit  world,  if  there  are  any  of  them  re- 
maining, they  will  attend  to  this,  and  as  heirs  be  permitted 
to  receive  the  ordinances  for  our  father  and  mother  This  is 
only  one  case,  and,  to  illustrate  this  subject  perfectly,  I 
might  have  to  refer  to  hundreds  of  examples  for  each  case 
16.186 

We  trust  in  God  I  reckon  he  will  fight  our  battles 
and  we  will  be  baptized  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  human 
family  during  a  thousand  years;  and  we  will  have  hundreds 
of  temples  and  thousands  of  men  and  women  officiating 
therein  for  those  who  have  fallen  asleep,  without  having 
had  the  privilege  of  hearing  and  obeying  the  Gospel,  that 
they  may  be  brought  forth  and  have  a  glorious  resurrection, 
and  enjoy  the  kingdom  which  God  has  prepared  for  them 
The  Devil  will  fight  hard  to  hinder  us,  and  we  shall  not 
take  an  inch  of  ground  except  by  obedience  to  the  power  of, 
and  faith  in,  the,  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  whole 
world  is  opposed  to  this  doctrine  But  is  there  any  harm 
in  it?  If  they  could  only  see  it  as  it  is  in  the  Lord,  they 
would  rejoice  in  it,  and  instead  of  fighting  it,  they  would 
praise  God  for  having  revealed  so  glorious  a  doctrine.  Sup- 
pose that  the  notion  entertained  by  some  is  true,  that  after 
the  death  of  our  bodies  our  spirits  sleep  an  eternal  sleep, 
and  I  am  baptized  for  my  father,  grandfather,  and  so  on, 
above,  beneath,  or  around  about  the  earth !  All  will  admit 
that  no  harm  would  be  done  in  practicing  these  ordinances 
Then  let  us  alone  if  our  practices  will  do  no  harm,  why 
oppose  us  in  their  observance?  The  result  might  possibly 
affect  beneficially  our  progenitors,  and  then  you  who  op- 
pose would  be  found  fighting  against  God.  Better  let  the 
Gospel  have  its  course.  13 :330 

Let  me  say  to  you,  if  it  is  true  that  no  man  can  enter  the 


616  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Kingdom  of  God  unless  he  is  born  of  the  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  God  must  provide  a  plan  by  which  those  who  have 
died  ignorant  of  the  Gospel  may  have  the  privilege  of  doing 
so,  or  he  would  appear  to  be  a  partial  being.  Has  he  pro- 
vided that  way?  He  has  The  Christian  world  have  taught, 
preached,  contemplated,  meditated,  sung  about  and  prayed 
for  the  Millennium  What  are  you  going  to  do  during  that 
period,  Christians?  Do  you  know  what  the  Millennium  is 
for,  and  what  work  will  have  to  be  done  during  that  period7 
Suppose  the  Christian  world  were  now  one  in  heart,  faith, 
sentiment  and  works,  so-  that  the  Lord  could  commence  the 
Millennium  in  power  and  glory,  do  you  know  what  would 
be  done?  Would  you  sit  and  sing  yourselves  away  to  ever- 
lasting bliss?  No,  I  reckon  not  I  think  there  is  a  work  to 
be  done  then  which  the  whole  world  seems  determined  we 
shall  not  do.  What  is  it?  To  build  temples  We  never 
yet  commenced  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  temple  but  what 
all  hell  was  in  arms  against  us.  That  is  the  difficulty  now. 
We  have  commenced  the  foundation  of  this  temple  What 
are  we  going  to  do  in  these  temples?  Anything  to  be  done 
there?  Yes,  and  we  will  not  wait  for  the  Millennium  and 
the  fulness  of  the  glory  of  God  on  the  earth ;  we  will  com- 
mence as  soon  as  we  have  a  temple,  and  work  for  the  salva- 
tion of  our  forefathers ;  we  will  get  their  genealogies  as  far 
as  we  can  By  and  by,  we  shall  get  them  perfect.  In 
these  temples  we  will  officiate  in  the  ordinances  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  for  our  friends,  for  no  man  can 
enter  the  Kingdom  of  God  without  being  born  of  the  water 
and  of  the  Spirit.  We  will  officiate  for  those  who  are  in 
the  spirit  world,  where  Jesus  went  to  preach  to  the  spirits, 
as  Peter  has  written  m  the  third  chapter,  verses  18,  19,  20, 
of  his  first  epistle. 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  617 

We  will  also  have  hands  laid  on  us  for  the  reception  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  then  we  will  receive  the  washing  and 
anointings  for  and  in  their  behalf,  preparatory  to  their  be- 
coming heirs  of  God  and  joint-heirs  with  Christ.  Are  you 
going  to  do  this,  Latter-day  Saints?  Yes.  What  will  the 
Christian  world  do  with  their  dead?  Let  them  sleep  an 
eternal  sleep,  for  there  are  no  provisions  made  for  them  in 
the  Gospel  they  believe  in  and  have  taught  to  them.  13 '329. 

We  will  bring  up  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  except 
those  who  have  sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  save 
them  in  some  kingdom  where  they  will  receive  more  glory 
and  honor  than  ever  the  Methodist  contemplated.  This 
should  be  a  comfort  and  a  consolation  to  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth.  They  will  not  save  themselves,  millions  have 
not  had  a  chance,  and  millions  now  living,  through  the 
strength  of  their  traditions,  will  not  do  it ;  their  consciences 
and  feelings  are  bound  up  in  their  systems  and  creeds, 
whereas  if  they  felt  as  independent  as  they  should  feel,  they 
would  break  loose  and  receive  the  truths ;  but  they  will  live 
and  die  in  bondage,  and  we  calculate  to  officiate  for  them. 
Many  a  man  I  know  of,  who  has  fallen  asleep,  we  have  been 
baptized  for,  since  the  Church  was  organized — good,  honest, 
honorable  men,  charitable  to  all,  living  good,  virtuous  lives. 
We  will  not  let  them  go  down  to  hell ;  God  will  not.  The 
plan  of  salvation  is  ample  to  bring  them  all  up  and  place 
them  where  they  may  enjoy  all  they  could  anticipate.  14:97. 

Can  we  do  anything  for  them?  Yes.  What  are  we  try- 
ing to  build  a  temple  for?  And  we  shall  not  only  build  a 
temple  here,  if  we  are  successful,  and  are  blessed  and  pre- 
served, but  we  shall  probably  commence  two  or  three  more, 
and  so  on  as  fast  as  the  work  requires,  for  the  express  pur- 
pose of  redeeming  our  dead.  When  I  get  a  revelation  that 


618  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

some  of  my  progenitors  lived  and  died  without  the  blessings 
of  the  Gospel,  or  even  hearing  it  preached,  but  were  as 
honest  as  I  am,  as  upright  as  I  am,  or  as  any  man  or 
woman  could  be  upon  the  earth ,  as  righteous,  so  far  as  they 
knew  how,  as  any  Apostle  or  Prophet  that  ever  lived,  I 
will  go  and  be  baptized,  confirmed,  washed,  and  anointed, 
and  go  through  all  the  ordinances  and  endowments  for 
them,  that  their  way  may  be  open  to  the  celestial  kingdom 

As  I  have  frequently  told  you,  that  is  the  work  of  the 
Millennium.  It  is  the  work  that  has  to  be  performed  by  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  the  chosen  seed,  the  royal  seed,  the 
blessed  of  the  Lord,  those  the  Lord  made  covenants  with. 
They  will  step  forth,  and  save  every  son  and  daughter  of 
Adam  who  will  receive  salvation  here  on  the  earth ;  and  all 
the  spirits  in  the  spirit  world  will  be  preached  to,  con- 
versed with,  and  the  principles  of  salvation  carried  to  them, 
that  they  may  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  the  Gospel , 
and  they  will  have  plenty  of  children  here  on  the  earth  to 
officiate  for  them  in  those  ordinances  of  the  Gospel  that  per- 
tain to  the  flesh  2,138 

What  do  you  suppose  the  fathers  would  say  if  they 
could  speak  from  the  dead?  Would  they  not  say,  "We  have 
lam  here  thousands  of  years,  here  in  this  prison  house, 
waiting  for  this  dispensation  to  come?  Here  we  are,  bound 
and  fettered,  in  the  association  of  those  who  are  filthy?" 
What  would  they  whisper  m  our  ears  ?  Why,  if  they  had* 
the  power  the  very  thunders  of  heaven  would  be  in  our  ears, 
if  we  could  but  realize  the  importance  of  the  work  we  are 
engaged  in.  All  the  angels  in  heaven  are  looking  at  this 
little  handful  of  people,  and  stimulating  them  to  the  salva- 
tion of  the  human  family.  So  also  are  the  devils  in  hell 
looking  at  this  people,  too,  and  trying  to  overthrow  us,  and 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  619 

the  people  are  still  shaking  hands  with  the  servants  of  the 
Devil,  instead  of  sanctifying  themselves  and  calling  upon 
the  Lord  and  doing  the  work  which  he  has  commanded 
us  and  put  into  our  hands  to  do  When  I  think  upon  this 
subject,  I  want  the  tongues  of  seven  thunders  to  wake  up 
the  people  18  304 

We  are  trying  to  save  the  living  and  the  dead.  The 
living  can  have  their  choice,  the  dead  have  not  Millions 
of  them  died  without  the  Gospel,  without  the  Priesthood, 
and  without  the  opportunities  that  we  enjoy  We  shall  go 
forth  in  the  name  of  Israel's  God  and  attend  to  the  ordi- 
nances for  them  And  through  the  Millennium,  the  thou- 
sand years  that  the  people  will  love  and  serve  God,  we  will 
build  temples  and  officiate  therein  for  those  who  have  slept 
for  hundreds  and  thousands  of  years— those  who  would 
have  received  the  truth  if  they  had  had  the  opportunity; 
and  we  will  bring  them  up,  and  form  the  chain  entire,  back 
to  Adam  14  -97. 

If  we  preserve  ourselves  in  the  truth  and  live  so  that  we 
shall  be  worthy  of  the  celestial  kingdom,  by  and  by  we  can 
officiate  for  those  who  have  died  without  the  Gospel — the 
honest,  honorable,  truthful,  virtuous  and  pure,  By  and  by 
it  will  be  said  unto  us,  Go  ye  forth  and  be  baptized  for  them 
and  receive  the  ordinances  for  them,  and  the  hearts 
of  the  children  will  be  turned  to  the  fathers  who 
have  slept  in  their  graves,  and  they  will  secure 
to  them  eternal  life.  This  must  be,  lest  the  Lord  come  and 
smite  the  earth  with  a  curse.  The  children  will  go  forth  and 
revive  this  law  for  those  who  have  slept  for  thousands  of 
years  who  died  without  the  Gospel.  Jesus  will  prepare  a 
way  to  bring  them  up  into  his  presence.  But  were  it  not  for 
the  few  who  will  be  prepared  here  on  the  earth  to  officiate 


620  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

when  the  Lord  shall  come  to  reign  King  of  nations,  what 
would  be  the  condition  of  the  world?  They  would  sleep 
and  sleep  on,  but  the  way  is  prepared  for  their  redemption, 
14-151, 

Hundreds  of  millions  of  human  beings  have  been  born, 
lived  out  their  short  earthly  span,  and  passed  away,  ignorant 
alike  of  themselves  and  of  the  plan  of  salvation  provided  for 
them.  It  gives  great  consolation,  however,  to  know  that 
this  glorious  plan  devised  by  Heaven  follows  them  into  the 
next  existence,  offering  for  their  acceptance  eternal  life  and 
exaltation  to  thrones,  dominions,  principalities,  and  powers 
in  the  presence  of  their  Father  and  God,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  his  Son  9.148. 

If  we  obey  this  law,  preserve  it  inviolate,  live  according 
to  it,  we  shall  be  prepared  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  a  celes- 
tial kingdom.  Will  any  others?  Yes,  thousands  and  mil- 
lions of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  who  would  have  re- 
ceived and  obeyed  the  law  that  we  preach,  if  they  had  had 
the  privilege  When  the  Lord  shall  bring  again  Zion,  and  the 
watchmen  shall  see  eye  to  eye,  and  Zion  shall  be  estab- 
lished, saviors  will  come  upon  Mount  Zion  and  save  all  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  that  are  capable  of  being 
saved,  by  administering  for  them,  8*35. 

Our  enemies  will  yet  be  glad  to  come  to  us  for  safety 
and  salvation ;  and  we  will  do  as  Brother  Kimball  has  said 
—we  will  save  the  old  veteran  fathers;  and  the  time  will 
come  when  we  will  be  baptized  for  them,  while  those  who 
trample  upon  the  rights  of  their  fellow  men  will  be  welter- 
ing in  hell.  Yes,  we  will  bring  up  those  old  revolutionary 
sires  and  save  them;  for  God  loves  men  who  are  true  to 
each  other  and  are  true  to  him  5  212, 

Who  Should  Represent  the  Dead— A  man  is  ordained 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  621 

and  receives  his  washings,  anointings,  and  endowments  for 
the  male  portion  of  his  and  his  wife's  progenitors,  and  his 
wife  for  the  female  portion  3  372 

For  instance,  a  man  and  his  wife  come  into  the  ChurUi , 
he  says,  "My  father  and  mother  were  good  people ,  I  would 
like  to  officate  for  them."  "Well,  have  you  any  other 
friends  in  the  Church?1'  "Nobody  but  myself  and  my  wife." 
Well,  now,  the  wife  is  not  a  blood  relation,  consequently  she 
is  not  in  reality  the  proper  person,  but  she  can  be  appointed 
the  heir  if  there  are  no  other  relatives — if  there  are  no  sisters, 
this  wife  of  his  can  officiate  for  the  mother ;  but  if  the  man 
has  a  sister  m  the  Church,  it  is  the  privilege  and  place  of 
the  sister  of  this  man,  the  daughter  of  those  parents  that 
are  dead,  to  go  and  officiate— be  baptized,  to  go  and  be 
sealed  with  her  brother  for  her  father  and  mother  If  this 
man  and  woman  have  a  daughter  old  enough  to  officiate  for 
her  grandmother,  she  is  a  blood  relation,  and  is  the  heir,  and 
can  act ,  but  if  there  is  no  daughter,  the  man's  wife  can  be 
appointed  as  the  heir.  16  -188. 

Some  brethren  here  are  anxious  to  know  whether  they 
can  receive  endowments  for  their  sons  or  for  their  daugh- 
ters. No,  they  cannot  until  we  have*a  temple  j  but  they  can 
officiate  in  the  ordinances  so  far  as  baptism  and  sealing  are 
concerned.  A  man  can  be  baptized  for  a  son  who  died  be- 
fore hearing  the  Gospel.  A  woman  can  be  baptized  for  her 
daughter,  who  died  without  the  Gospel  Suppose  that  the 
father  of  a  dead  son  wishes  to  have  a  wife  sealed  to  his  son ; 
if  the  young  woman  desired  as  a  wife  is  dead  and  have  a 
mother  or  other  female  relative  in  the  Church,  such  mother 
is  the  heir,  and  she  can  act  in  the  sealing  ordinances  in  the 
stead  of  her  daughter.  But  if  the  young  woman  desired  as 
a  wife  have  no  relative  in  the  Church,  to  act  in  her  behalf, 


622  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

then  the  mother  of  the  young  man  can  be  baptized  for  her, 
and  act  as  proxy  for  her  in  the  sealing  ordinances.  We  can 
attend  to  these  ordinances  now  before  the  temple  is  built 
here ;  but  no  one  can  receive  endowments  for  another,  until 
a  temple  is  prepared  in  which  to  administer  them.  We  ad- 
minister just  so  far  as  the  law  permits  us  to  do  In  reality 
we  should  have  performed  all  these  ordinances  long  ago,  if 
we  had  been  obedient;  we  should  have  had  temples  m  which 
we  could  attend  to  all  these  ordinances.  Now,  the  brethren 
have  the  privilege  of  being  baptized  for  their  dead  friends 
— when  I  say  the  brethren,  I  mean  the  brethren  and  sisters 
—and  these  friends  can  be  sealed  16:187. 

We  will  operate  here,  in  all  the  ordinances  of  the  house 
of  God  which  pertain  to  this  side  of  the  veil,  and  those  who 
pass  beyond  and  secure  to  themselves  a  resurrection  per- 
taining to  the  lives  will  go  on  and  receive  more  and  more, 
more  and  more,  and  will  receive  one  after  another  until  they 
are  crowned  Gods,  even  the  sons  of  God.  This  idea  is  very 
consoling  We  are  now  baptizing  for  the  dead,  and  we  are 
sealing  for  the  dead,  and  if  we  had  a  temple  prepared  we 
should  be  giving  endowments  for  the  dead— for  our  fathers, 
mothers,  grandfathers,  grandmothers,  uncles,  aunts,  rela- 
tives, friends  and  old  associates,  the  history  of  whom  we  are 
now  getting  from  our  friends  m  the  East.  The  Lord  is  stir- 
ring up  the  hearts  of  many  there,  and  there  is  a  perfect 
mania  with  some  to  trace  their  genealogies  and  to  get  up 
printed  records  of  their  ancestors.  They  do  not  know  what 
they  are  doing  it  for,  but  the  Lord  is  prompting  them ,  and 
it  will  continue  and  run  on  from  father  to  father,  father  to 
father,  until  they  get  the  genealogy  of  their  forefathers  as 
far  as  they  possibly  can.  IS  :138. 

We  want  to  sacrifice  enough  to  do  the  will  of  God  in 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  623 

preparing  to  bring  up  those  who  have  not  had  the  privilege 
of  hearing  the  Gospel  while  in  the  flesh,  for  the  simple 
reason  that,  in  the  spirit  world,  they  cannot  officiate  in  the 
ordinances  of  the  house  of  God.  They  have  passed  the 
ordeals,  and  are  beyond  the  possibility  of  personally  offi- 
ciating for  the  remission  of  their  sins  and  for  their  exalta- 
tion, consequently  they  are  under  the  necessity  of  trusting 
in  their  friends,  their  children  and  their  children's  children 
to  officiate  for  them,  that  they  may  be  brought  up  into  the 
celestial  kingdom  of  God.  18:238 

"Saviors  on  Mount  Zion" — We  have  a  work  to  do  just 
as  important  in  its  sphere  as  the  Savior's  work  was  in  its 
sphere.  Our  fathers  cannot  be  made  perfect  without  us, 
we  cannot  be  made  perfect  without  them  They  have  done 
their  work  and  now  sleep  We  are  now  called  upon  to  do 
ours;  which  is  to  be  the  greatest  work  man  ever  performed 
on  the  earth,  Millions  of  our  fellow  creatures  who  have 
lived  upon  the  earth  and  died  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel  must  be  officiated  for  in  order  that  they  may  inherit 
eternal  life  (that  is,  all  that  would  have  received  the 
Gospel)  And  we  are  called  upon  to  enter  into  this  work 
18-213. 

We  are  called,  as  it  has  been  told  you,  to  redeem  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth.  The  fathers  cannot  be  made  perfect 
without  us ;  we  cannot  be  made  perfect  without  the  fathers 
There  must  be  this  chain  in  the  holy  Priesthood ,  it  must  be 
welded  together  from  the  latest  generation  that  lives  on  the 
earth  back  to  Father  Adam,  to  bring  back  all  that  can  be 
saved  and  placed  where  they  can  receive  salvation  and  a 
glory  in  some  kingdom  This  Priesthood  has  to  do  it ;  this 
Priesthood  is  for  this  purpose.  13-280. 

Can  the  fathers  be  saved  without  us?    No.    Can  we  be 


624  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

saved  without  them?  No,  and  if  we  do  not  wake  up  and 
cease  to  long  after  the  things  of  this  earth,  we  will  find  that 
we  as  individuals  will  go  down  to  hell,  although  the  Lord 
will  preserve  a  people  unto  himself  Now,  we  are  ready  to 
give  endowments,  do  you  have  any  feelings  for  those  who 
have  died  without  having  the  Gospel?  18  304 

The  ordinance  of  sealing  must  be  performed  here  man 
to  man,  and  woman  to  man,  and  children  to  parents,  etc., 
until  the  chain  of  generation  is  made  perfect  in  the  sealing 
ordinances  back  to  Father  Adam;  hence,  we  have  been 
commanded  to  gather  ourselves  together,  to  come  out  from 
Babylon,  and  sanctify  ourselves,  and  build  up  the  Zion  of 
our  God,  by  building  cities  and  temples,  redeeming  coun- 
tries from  the  solitude  of  nature,  until  the  earth  is  sancti- 
fied and  prepared  for  the  residence  of  God  and  angels 
12-165. 

The  doctrines  of  the  Savior  reveal  and  place  the  be- 
lievers in  possession  of  principles  whereby  saviors  will  come 
upon  Mount  Zion  to  save  the  House  of  Esau,  which  is  the 
Gentile  nations,  from  sin  and  death, — all  except  those  who 
have  sinned  against  the  Holy  Ghost.  Men  and  women  will 
enter  into  the  temples  of  God,  and  be,  in  comparison,  pillars 
there,  and  officiate  year  after  year  for  those  who  have  slept 
thousands  of  years.  6 :344 

When  his  Kingdom  is  established  upon  the  earth,  and 
Zion  built  up,  the  Lord  will  send  his  servants  as  saviors 
upon  Mount  Zion.  The  servants  of  God  who  have  lived  on 
the  earth  in  ages  past  will  reveal  where  different  persons 
have  lived  who  have  died  without  the  Gospel,  give  their 
names,  and  say,  "Now  go  forth,  ye  servants  of  God,  and  ex- 
ercise your  rights  and  privileges ;  go  and  perform  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  house  of  God  for  those  who  have  passed  their 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  625 

probation  without  the  Gospel,  and  for  all  who  will  receive 
any  kind  of  salvation,  bring  them  up  to  inherit  the  celes- 
tial, terrestrial,  and  telestial  kingdoms/'  and  probably  many 
other  kingdoms  not  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  for  every 
person  will  receive  according  to  his  capacity  and  according 
to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether  good  or  bad,  much 
or  little  6:347. 

Who  will  possess  the  earth  and  all  its  fulness?  Will  it 
not  be  those  whom  the  Lord  has  reserved  to  this  honor? 
And  they  will  come  upon  Mount  Zion  as  saviors  to  labor 
through  the  Millennium  to  save  others.  8:191. 

Suppose  we  are  ready  to  go  into  the  temples  of  God  to 
officiate  for  our  fathers  and  our  grandfathers — for  our  an- 
cestors back  for  hundreds  of  years,  who  are  all  looking  to 
see  what  their  children  are  doing  upon  the  earth.  The  Lord 
says,  I  have  sent  the  keys  of  Elijah  the  Prophet— I  have 
imparted  that  doctrine  to  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to 
the  children,  and  the  hearts  of  the  children  to  the  fathers, 
Now,  all  you  children,  are  you  looking  to  the  salvation  of 
your  fathers?  Are  you  seeking  diligently  to  redeem  those 
that  have  died  without  the  Gospel,  inasmuch  as  they  sought 
the  Lord  Almighty  to  obtain  promises  for  you?  For  our 
fathers  did  obtain  promises  that  their  seed  should  not  be 
forgotten,  0  ye  children  of  the  fathers,  look  at  these 
things.  You  are  to  enter  into  the  temples  of  the  Lord  and 
officiate  for  your  forefathers. 

Suppose  we  are  ready  to  enter  into  the  temple  to  be  bap- 
tized and  attend  to  the  ordinances  for  one  hundred  of  our 
best  forefathers,  and  Thomas  should  say  to  John,  "John. 
take  this  affair  and  see  to  it ;  I  want  to  go  to  this  ferry  to 
make  a  little  money ;"  or,  "JosePn>  you  know  the  names  of 
our  ancestors  better  than  I  do;  won't  you  go  and  see  to 


626  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

their  salvation?  I  have  not  time  myself,  I  want  to  build 
a  bridge  "  "James,  are  you  ready  to  perform  your  duties 
for  the  dead?"  "No,  I  want  to  go  and  keep  a  grocery." 
And  you  know  the  language  that  is  common  to  such  places , 
the  name  of  the  Lord  is  blasphemed,  and  his  servants  are 
cursed  with  bitter  oaths. 

What  do  you  think  of  it,  gentlemen,  Elders  in  Israel ? 
What  would  money  have  to  do  with  you,  if  you  were  now 
upon  the  threshold  of  eternity,  and  eternity  open  to  you? 
Would  you  have  the  apostasy,  as  you  have  now?  A  little 
money  is  more  to  such  persons  than  the  salvation  of  all  the 
sons  and  daughters  of  Adam  I  wish  I  had  a  voice  like  ten 
thousand  earthquakes,  that  all  the  world  might  hear  and 
know  the  loving  kindness  of  the  Lord.  6 .296 

What  is  going  to  be  done  with  them?  By  and  by  Zion 
will  be  built  up ;  temples  are  going  to  be  reared,  and  the 
holy  Priesthood  is  going  to  take  effect  and  rule,  and  every 
law  of  Christ  will  be  obeyed,  and  he  will  govern  and  reign 
King  of  nations  as  he  now  does  King  of  Saints.  Pretty 
soon  you  will  see  temples  reared  up,  and  the  sons  of  Jacob 
will  enter  into  the  temples  of  the  Lord  What  will  they  do 
there?  They  will  do  a  great  many  things  When  you  see 
Zion  redeemed  and  built  up— when  you  see  the  people  per- 
forming the  ordinances  of  salvation  for  themselves  and  for 
others,  (and  they  will  hereafter,)  you  will  see  simply  this 
(but  I  have  not  time  this  morning  to  tell  you,  only  a  little 
part  of  it)  •  About  the  time  that  the  temples  of  the  Lord 
will  be  built  and  Zion  is  established — pretty  nigh  this  time, 
you  will  see  (those  who  are  faithful  enough,)  the  first  you 
know,  there  will  be  strangers  in  your  midst,  walking  with 
you,  talking  with  you ;  they  will  enter  into  your  houses  and 
eat  and  drink  with  you,  go  to  meeting  with  you,  and  begin 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  627 

to  open  your  minds,  as  the  Savior  did  the  two  disciples  who 
walked  out  in  the  country  in  the  days  of  old. 

About  the  time  the  temples  are  ready,  the  strangers  will 
be  along  and  will  converse  with  you,  and  will  inquire  of 
you,  probably,  if  you  understand  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  You  might  say  you  have  heard  and  read  a  great  deal 
about  it,  but  you  do  not  properly  understand  it;  and  they 
will  then  open  your  minds  and  tell  you  the  principles  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead  and  how  to  save  your  friends ;  they 
will  point  out  Scriptures  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  other  revelations  of  God,  saying, 
"Don't  you  recollect  reading  so  and  so,  that  saviors  should 
come  up  on  Mount  Zion?"  etc.,  and  they  will  expound  the 
Scriptures  to  you. '  You  have  got  your  temples  ready ,  now 
go  forth  and  be  baptized  for  those  good  people  There  are 
your  father  and  your  mother— your  ancestors  for  many 
generations  back — the  people  that  have  lived  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth  since  the  Priesthood  was  taken  away,  thousands 
and  millions  of  them,  who  have  lived  according  to  the  best 
light  and  knowledge  in  their  possession.  They  will  ex- 
pound the  Scriptures  to  you,  and  open  your  minds,  and  teach 
you  of  the  resurrection  of  the  just  and  the  unjust  of  the 
doctrine  of  salvation,  they  will  use  the  keys  of  the  holy 
Priesthood,  and  unlock  the  door  of  knowledge,  to  let  you 
look  into  the  palace  of  truth.  You  will  exclaim,  That  is  all 
plain:  why  did  I  not  understand  it  before?  and  you  will 
begin  to  feel  your  hearts  burn  within  you,  as  they  walk  and 
talk  with  you. 

You  will  enter  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord  and  begin  to 
offer  up  ordinances  before  the  Lord  for  your  dead.  Says 
this  or  that  man,  I  want  to  save  such  a  person— I  want  to 
save  my  father;  and  he  straightway  goes  forth  in  the  ordi- 


628  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGIIAM  YOUNG 

nance  of  baptism,  and  is  confirmed,  and  washed,  and 
anointed,  and  ordained  to  the  blessings  of  the  holy  Priest- 
hood for  his  ancestors  ?  Before  his  work  is  finished,  a  great 
many  of  the  Elders  of  Israel  in  Mount  Zion  will  become 
pillars  m  the  temple  of  God,  to  go  no  more  out.  They  will 
eat  and  drink  and  sleep  there,  and  they  will  often  have 
occasion  to  say,  "Somebody  came  to  the  temple  last  night , 
we  did  not  know  who  he  was,  but  he  was  no  doubt  a 
brother,  and  told  us  a  great  many  things  we  did  not  before 
understand,  He  gave  us  the  names  of  a  great  many  of  our 
forefathers  that  are  not  on  record,  and  he  gave  me  my  true 
lineage  and  the  names  of  my  forefathers  for  hundreds  of 
years  back.  He  said  to  me,  you  and  I  are  connected  in  one 
family ;  there  are  the  names  of  your  ancestors ;  take  them 
and  write  them  down,  and  be  baptized  and  confirmed,  and 
save  such  and  such  ones,  and  receive  of  the  blessings  of  the 
eternal  Priesthood  for  such  and  such  an  individual,  as  you 
do  for  yourselves,"  This  is  what  we  are  going  to  do  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth.  When  I  look  at  it,  I  do  not  want 
to  rest  a  great  deal,  but  be  industrious  all  the  day  long;  for 
when  we  come  to  think  upon  it,  we  have  no  time  to  lose, 
for  it  is  a  pretty  laborious  work  6 .294-5. 

Then  in  the  spirit  world  they  will  say,  "Do  you  not  see 
somebody  at  work  for  you?  The  Lord  remembers  you  and 
has  revealed  to  his  servants  on  the  earth,  what  to  do  for 
you/'  3.372. 

""When  the  Lord  shall  usher  in  the  morning  of  rest,  we 
may  enter  into  our  labors  to  officate  for  our  dead  friends 
back  to  Adam  6,149, 

Powers  of  Evil  Opposed  to  Temple  Building1 — Some  say, 
"I  do  not  like  to  do  it,  for  we  never  began  to  build  a  temple 
without  the  bells  of  hell  beginning  to  ring."  I  want  to  hear 


K 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  629 

them  ring  again.  All  the  tribes  of  hell  will  be  on  the  move, 
if  we  uncover  the  walls  of  this  temple.  But  what  do  you 
think  it  will  amount  to?  You  have  all  the  time  seen  what 
it  has  amounted  to.  8  355-6. 

I  can  say,  for  my  comfort  and  consolation,  and  for  yours 
too,  that  we  did  build  two  temples,  and  commenced  an- 
other. We  completed  a  temple  in  Kirtland  and  in  Nauvoo ; 
and  did  not  the  bells  of  hell  toll  all  the  time  we  were  build- 
ing them?  They  did,  every  week  and  every  day.  8 :356. 

The  Salt  Lake  Temple— This  I  do  know— there  should 
be  a  temple  built  here.  I  do  know  it  is  the  duty  of  this 
people  to  commence  to  build  a  temple.  Now,  some  will 
want  to  know  what  kind  of  a  building  it  will  be.  Wait  pa- 
tiently, brethren,  until  it  is  done,  and  put  forth  your  hands 
willingly  to  finish  it.  I  know  what  it  will  be.  I  scarcely 
ever  say  much  about  revelations,  or  visions,  but  suffice  it  to 
say,  five  years  ago  last  July  I  was  here,  and  saw  in  the  spirit 
the  temple  not  ten  feet  from  where  we  have  laid  the  chief 
cornerstone.  I  have  not  inquired  what  kind  of  a  temple  we 
should  build.  Why?  Because  it  was  represented  before 
me.  I  have  never  looked  upon  that  ground,  but  the  vision 
of  it  was  there.  I  see  it  as  plainly  as  if  it  was  in  reality  be- 
fore me.  Wait  until  it  is  done.  I  will  say,  however,  that  it 
will  have  six  towers,  to  begin  with,  instead  of  one.  Now 
do  not  any  of  you  apostatize  because  it  will  have  six  towers, 
and  Joseph  only  built  one  It  is  easier  for  us  to  build  .six- 
teen, than  it  was  for  him  to  build  one.  The  time  will  come 
when  there  will  be  one  in  the  centre  of  temples  we  shall 
build,  and,  on  the  top,  groves  and  fish  ponds.  But  we  shall 
not  see  them  here,  at  present.  1 :132. 

I  have  determined,  by  the  help  of  the  Lord  and  this 
people,  to  build  him  a  house.  You  may  ask,  "Will  he  dwell 


630  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  it?"  He  may  do  just  as  he  pleases,  it  is  not  my  preroga- 
tive to  dictate  to  the  Lord  But  we  will  build  him  a  house, 
that,  if  he  pleases-to  pay  us  a  visit,  he  may  have  a  place  to 
dwell  in,  or  if  he  should  send  any  of  his  servants,  we  may 
have  suitable  accommodations  for  them  I  have  built  my- 
self a  house,  and  the  most  of  you  have  done  the  same,  and 
now,  shall  we  not  build  the  Lord  a  house?  1  376 

"Does  the  Lord  require  the  building  of  a  temple  at  our 
hands?"  I  can  say  that  he  requires  it  just  as  much  as  ever 
he  required  one  to  be  built  elsewhere.  If  you  should  ask, 
"Brother  Brigham,  have  you  any  knowledge  concerning 
this;  have  you  ever  had  a  revelation  from  heaven  upon  it?" 
I  can  answer  truly,  it  is  before  me  all  the  time,  not  only  to- 
day, but  it  was  almost  five  years  ago,  when  we  were  on 
this  ground,  looking  for  locations,  sending  our  scouting 
parties  through  the  country,  to  the  right  and  to  the  left,  to 
the  north  and  the  south,  to  the  east  and  the  west ;  before 
we  had  any  icturns  from  any  of  them,  I  knew,  just  as  well 
as  I  now  know,  that  this  was  the  ground  on  which  to  erect 
a  temple — it  was  before  me.  1 :277. 

We  shall  attempt  to  build  a  temple  to  the  name  of  our 
God.  This  has  been  attempted  several  times,  but  we  have 
never  yet  had  the  privilege  of  completing  and  enjoying  one 
Perhaps  we  may  in  this  place,  but  if,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  we  should  not,  it  is  all  the  same  It  is  for  us  to  do 
those  things  which  the  Lord  requires  at  our  hands,  and 
leave  the  result  with  him,  It  is  for  us  to  labor  with  a  cheer- 
ful good  will ;  and  if  we  build  a  temple  that  is  worth  a  mil- 
lion of  money,  and  it  requires  all  our  time  and  means,  we 
should  leave  it  with  cheerful  hearts,  if  the  Lord  in  his  provi- 
dence tells  us  so  to  do  If  the  Lord  permits  our  enemies  to 
drive  us  from  it,  why,  we  should  abandon  it  with  as  much 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  631 

cheerfulness  of  heart  as  we  ever  enjoy  a  blessing  It  is  no 
matter  to  us  what  the  Lord  does,  or  how  he  disposes  of  the 
labor  of  his  servants.  But  when  he  commands,  it  is  for  his 
people  to  obey.  We  should  be  as  cheerful  in  buidlmg  this 
temple,  if  we  knew  beforehand  that  we  should  never  enter 
into  it  when  it  was  finished,  as  we  would  though  we  knew 
we  were  to  live  here  a  thousand  years  to  enjoy  it.  1 .277. 

I  want  this  temple  that  we  are  now  building  to  the  name 
of  our  God,  to  stand  for  all  time  to  come  as  a  monument  of 
the  industry,  faithfulness,  faith,  and  integrity  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  who  were  driven  into  the  mountains  I  want  to 
see  the  temple  finished  as  soon  as  it  is  reasonable  and  prac- 
ticable. Whether  we  go  in  there  to  work  or  not  makes  no 
difference,  I  am  perfectly  willing-  to  finish  it  to  the  last 
leaf  of  gold  that  shall  be  laid  upon  it,  and  to  the  last  lock 
that  should  be  put  on  the  doors,  and  then  lock  every  door, 
and  there  let  it  stand  until  the  earth  can  rest  before  the 
Saints  commence  their  labors  there  They  receive  more  in 
the  house  of  the  Lord  now  than  is  their  due.  Our  breth- 
ren and  sisters,  baptized  three,  four,  or  six  months  ago,  go 
and  get  their  endowments,  the  sealing  blessings  for  all  eter- 
nity, the  highest  that  can  be  conferred  upon  them,  yet  how 
lightly  they  are  treated !  Many  do  not  consider,  they  do  not 
realize  these  things.  They  have  not  the  spirit  of  revela- 
tion, they  do  not  live  for  it,  hence  they  do  not  see  these 
things  in  their  proper  light,  and  we  are  not  in  such  a  hurry 
as  many  think  we  ought  to  be  11  372 

The  temple  will  be  for  the  endowments — for  the  organi- 
zation and  instruction  of  the  Priesthood  If  you  want  to 
build  a  temple  on  these  conditions,  you  can  have  the  privi- 
lege. But  I  never  again  want  to  see  one  built  to  go  into  the 
hands  of  the  wicked.  I  have  asked  my  Father  to  give  me 


632  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

power  to  build  a  temple  on  this  block,  but  not  until  I  can 
forever  maintain  my  rights  in  it  I  would  rather  see  it 
burnt  than  to  see  it  go  into  the  hands  of  devils.  I  was 
thankful  to  see  the  temple  in  Nauvoo  on  fire.  Previous  to 
crossing  the  Mississippi  river,  we  had  met  in  that  temple 
and  handed  it  over  to  the  Lord  God  of  Israel ;  and  when  I 
saw  the  flames,  I  said,  "Good,  Father,  if  you  want  it  to  be 
burned  up  "  I  hoped  to  see  it  burned  before  I  left,  but  I 
did  not.  I  was  glad  when  I  heard  of  its  being  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  of  the  walls  having  fallen  in,  and  said,  "Hell,  you 
cannot  now  occupy  it "  When  the  temple  is  built  here,  I 
want  to  maintain  it  for  the  use  of  the  Priesthood;  if  this 
cannot  be,  I  would  rather  not  see  it  built,  but  go  into  the 
mountains  and  administer  there  in  the  ordinances  of  the 
holy  Priesthood,  which  is  our  right  and  privilege.  I  would 
rather  do  this  than  to  build  a  temple  for  the  wicked  to  tram- 
ple under  their  feet,  8  203, 

Address  at  the  Laying  of  the  Cornerstone  of  the  Salt 
Lake  Temple — This  morning  we  have  assembled  on  one  of 
the  most  solemn,  interesting,  joyful,  and  glorious  occasions 
that  ever  have  transpired,  or  will  transpire  among  the  chil- 
dren of  men,  while  the  earth  continues  in  its  present  organ- 
ization, and  is  occupied  for  its  present  purposes.  And  I  con- 
gratulate my  brethren  and  sisters  that  it  is  our  unspeak- 
able privilege  to  stand  here  this  day,  and  minister  before  the 
Lord  on  an  occasion  which  has  caused  the  tongues  and  pens 
of  Prophets  to  speak  and  write  for  many  scores  of  centuries 
which  are  past 

When  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  tabernacled  in  the  flesh — 
when  he  had  left  the  most  exalted  regions  of  his  Father's 
glory,  to  suffer  and  shed  his  blood  for  sinning,  fallen  crea- 
tures, like  ourselves,  and  the  people  crowded  around  him, 


TFMPI  ES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  633 

a  certain  man  said  unto  him,  "Master,  I  will  follow  thee 
withersoever  thou  goest"  Jesus  said  unto  him,  ''Foxes  have 
holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests ,  but  the  Son  of 
Man  hath  nowheie  to  lay  his  head"  And  we  find  no 
record  that  this  man  followed  him  any  farther 

Why  had  not  the  Son  of  Man  where  to  lay  his  head? 
Because  his  Father  had  no  house  upon  the  earth— none 
dedicated  to  him,  and  preserved  for  his  exclusive  use,  and 
the  benefit  of  his  obedient  children. 

The  Ark  containing  the  covenant— or  the  Ark  of  the 
Covenant  in  the  days  of  Moses,  containing  the  sacred 
records,  was  moved  from  place  to  place  in  a  cart.  And  so 
sacred  was  that  Ark,  if  a  man  stretched  forth  his  hand  to 
steady  it,  when  the  cart  jostled,  he  was  smitten,  and  died 
And  would  to  God  that  all  who  attempt  to  do  the  same  in 
this  day,  figuratively  speaking,  might  share  the  same  fate 
And  they  will  share  it  sooner  or  later,  if  they  do  not  keep 
their  hands,  and  tongues,  too,  in  their  proper  places,  and 
stop  dictating  the  order  of  the  Gods  of  the  Eternal  Worlds 

When  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  rested,  or  when  the  Chil- 
dren of  Israel  had  an  opportunity  to  rest  (for  they  were 
mobbed  and  harrassed  somewhat  like  the  Latter-day 
Saints),  the  Lord,  through  Moses,  commanded  a  tabernacle 
to  be  built,  wherein  should  rest  and  be  stationed,  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant  And  particular  instructions  were  given 
by  revelation  to  Moses,  how  every  part  of  said  tabernacle 
should  be  constructed,  even  to  the  curtains — the  number 
thereof,  and  of  what  they  should  be  made,  and  the  cover- 
ing, and  the  wood  for  the  boards,  and  for  the  bars,  and  the 
court,  and  the  pins,  and  the  vessels,  and  the  furniture,  and 
everything  pertaining  to  the  tabernacle,  Why  did  Moses 
need  such  a  particular  revelation  to  build  a  tabernacle?  Be- 


634  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

cause  he  had  never  seen  one,  and  did  not  know  how  to  build 
it  without  revelation,  without  a  pattern 

Thus  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  continued  until  the  days 
of  David,  King  of  Israel,  standing  or  occupying  a  taber- 
nacle, or  tent  But  to  David,  God  gave  commandment  that 
he  should  make  preparation  for  a  house,  wherein  he,  himself, 
might  dwell,  or  which  he  might  visit,  and  in  which  he  might 
commune  with  his  servants  when  he  pleased 

From  the  day  the  Children  of  Israel  were  led  out  of 
Egypt  to  the  days  of  Solomon,  Jehovah  had  no  resting  place 
upon  the  earth  (and  for  how  long  a  period  before  that  day, 
the  history  is  unpublished),  but  walked  in  a  tent  or  taber- 
nacle, before  the  Ark,  as  it  seemed  him  good,  having  no 
place  to  lay  his  head. 

David  was  not  permitted  to  build  the  house  which  the 
Lord  told  him  should  be  built,  because  he  was  a  "man  of 
blood,"  that  is,  he  was  beset  by  enemies  on  every  hand,  and 
had  to  spend  his  days  in  war  and  bloodshed  to  save  Israel 
(much  as  the  Latter-day  Saints  have  done,  only  he  had  the 
privilege  of  defending  himself  and  the  people  from  mobo- 
crats  and  murderers,  while  we  have  hitherto  been  denied 
that  privilege),  and,  consequently,  he  had  no  time  to  build  a 
house  unto  the  Lord,  but,  commanded  his  son  Solomon,  who 
succeeded  him  on  the  throne,  to  erect  the  temple  at  Jerusa- 
lem, which  God  had  required  at  his  hands. 

The  pattern  of  this  temple,  the  length  and  breadth,  and 
height  of  the  inner  and  outer  courts,  with  all  the  fixtures 
thereunto  appertaining,  were  given  to  Solomon  by  revela- 
tion, through  the  proper  source.  And  why  was  this  revela- 
tion-pattern necessary ?  Because  Solomon  had  never 
built  a  temple,  and  did  not  know  what  was  necessary  in  the 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  635 

arrangement  of  the  different  apartments,  any  better  than 
Moses  did  what  was  needed  in  the  tabernacle. 

This  temple,  called  Solomon's  temple,  because  Solo- 
mon was  the  master  workman,  was  completed  some  time 
previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  Son  of  Man  on  the  earth, 
in  the  form  of  the  babe  of  Bethlehem,  and  had  been  dedi- 
cated as  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  accepted  as  a  finished 
work  by  the  Father,  who  commanded  it  to  be  built,  that  his 
Son  might  have  a  resting  place  on  the  earth,  when  he  should 
enter  on  his  mission. 

Why,  then,  did  Jesus  exclaim  to  the  man  who  volun- 
teered to  follow  him  wheresoever  he  went,  that  "the  Son  of 
Man  hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head?"  Jesus  knew  the  pre- 
tended saint  and  follower  to  be  a  hypocrite,  and  that  if  he 
told  him  plainly  that  he  would  not  fare  as  well  as  the  birds 
and  foxes,  he  would  leave  him  at  once,  and  that  would  save 
him  much  trouble. 

But  how  could  Jesus'  saying,  that  he  had  "not  where 
to  lay  his  head,"  be  true?  Because  the  house  which  the 
Father  had  commanded  to  be  built  for  his  reception,  al- 
though completed,  had  become  polluted,  and  hence  the  say- 
ing, "My  house  is  the  house  of  prayer;  but  ye  have  made  it 
a  den  of  thieves,"  and  he  made  a  scourge  of  cords,  and  drove 
the  money-changers,  and  dove-sellers,  and  faro-gamblers,  all 
out  of  his  house,  and  overthrew  their  tables,  but  that  did 
not  purify  the  house,  so  that  he  could  not  sleep  in  it,  for  an 
holy  thing  dwelleth  not  in  an  unholy  temple, 

If  Jesus  could  not  lay  his  head  in  an  unholy,  polluted 
temple,  how  can  the  Latter-day  Saints  expect  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  will  take  and  abide  its  residence  with  them,  in  their 
tabernacles  and  temples  of  clay,  unless  they  keep  them- 
selves pure,  spotless,  and  undefiled? 


636  DISCOURSES  OF  BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  Son  of  Man,  soon  after  his 
resurrection  from  the  tomb,  ascended  to  his  Father,  for  he 
had  no  place  on  earth  to  lay  his  head,  his  house  still  re- 
maining in  the  possession  of  his  enemies,  so  that  no  one  had 
the  privilege  of  purifying  it,  if  they  had  the  disposition,  and 
otherwise  the  power,  to  do  it;  and  the  occupants  thereof 
were  professors  in  name,  but  hypocrites  and  apostates, 
from  whom  no  good  thing  can  be  expected 

Soon  after  the  ascension  of  Jesus,  through  mobocracy, 
martyrdom,  and  apostasy,  the  Church  of  Christ  became  ex- 
tinct from  the  earth,  the  Man  Child, — the  Holy  Priest- 
hood, was  received  up  into  heaven  from  whence  it  came, 
and  we  hear  no  more  of  it  on  the  earth,  until  the  angels  re- 
stored it  to  Joseph  Smith,  by  whose  ministry  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  restored,  reorganized  on  earth,  twenty- 
three  years  ago  this  day,  with  the  title  of  Latter-day 
Saints  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Former-day  Saints 

Soon  after,  the  Church,  through  our  beloved  Prophet 
Joseph,  was  commanded  to  build  a  temple  to  the  Most 
High,  in  Kirtland,  Ohio  Joseph  not  only  received  revela- 
tion and"  commandment  to  build  a  temple,  but  he  received  a 
pattern  also,  as  did  Moses  for  the  tabernacle,  and  Solomon 
for  his  temple;  for  without  a  pattern,  he  could  not  know 
what  was  wanted,  having  never  seen  one,  and  not  having 
experienced  its  use. 

Without  revelation,  Joseph  could  not  know  what  was 
wanted,  any  more  than  any  other  man,  and,  without  com- 
mandment, the  Church  were  too  few  in  number,  too  weak  in 
faith,  and  too  poor  in  purse,  to  attempt  such  a  mighty  enter- 
prise But  by  means  of  all  these  stimulants,  a  mere  handful 
of  men,  living  on  air,  and  a  little  hominy  and  milk,  and 
often  salt  or  no  salt,  when  milk  could  not  be  had ;  the  great 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  637 

Prophet  Joseph,  in  the  stone  quarry,  quarrying  rock  with 
his  own  hands ;  and  the  few  then  in  the  Church,  following 
his  example  of  obedience  and  diligence  wherever  most 
needed;  with  laborers  on  the  walls,  holding  the  sword  in 
one  hand  to  protect  themselves  from  the  mob,  while  they 
placed  the  stone  and  moved  the  trowel  with  the  other,  the 
Kirtland  temple— the  second  house  of  the  Lord,  that  we 
have  any  published  record  of  on  the  earth,  was  so  far  com- 
pleted as  to  be  dedicated  And  those  first  Elders  who 
helped  to  build  it,  received  a  portion  of  their  first  endow- 
ments, or  we  might  say  more  clearly,  some  of  the  first,  or 
introductory,  or  initiatory  ordinances,  preparatory  to  an 
endowment 

The  preparatory  ordinances  there  administered,  though 
accompanied  by  the  ministrations  of  angels,  and  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  Jesus,  were  but  a  faint  similitude  of  the 
ordinances  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  in  their  fulness;  yet 
many,  through  the  instigation  of  the  Devil,  thought  they 
had  received  all,  and  knew  as  much  as  God ;  they  have  apos- 
tatized, and  gone  to  hell  But  be  assured,  brethren,  there 
are  but  few,  very  few  of  the  Elders  of  Israel,  now  on  earth, 
who  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  endowment.  To  know, 
they  must  experience;  and  to  experience,  a  temple  must 
be  built. 

Let  me  give  you  a  definition  in  brief.  Your  endowment 
is,  to  receive  all  those  ordinances  in  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
which  are  necessary  for  you,  after  you  have  departed  this 
life,  to  enable  you  to  walk  back  to  the  presence  of  the 
Father,  passing  the  angels  who  stand  as  sentinels,  being 
enabled  to  give  them  the  key  words,  the  signs  and  tokens, 
pertaining  to  the  holy  Priesthood,  and  gain  your  eternal 
exaltation  in  spite  of  earth  and  hell. 


638  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Who  has  received  and  understands  such  an  endowment, 
in  this  assembly ?  You  need  not  answer.  Your  voices 
would  be  few  and  far  between,  yet  the  keys  to  these  en- 
dowments are  among-  you,  and  thousands  have  received 
them,  so  that  the  Devil,  with  all  his  aids,  need  not  suppose 
he  can  again  destroy  the  holy  Priesthood  from  the  earth, 
by  killing  a  few,  for  he  cannot  do  it.  God  has  set  his  hand, 
for  the  last  time,  to  redeem  his  people,  the  honest  in  heart, 
and  Lucifer  cannot  hinder  him. 

Before  these  endowments  could  be  given  at  Kirtland,  the 
Saints  had  to  flee  before  mobocracy.  And,  by  toil  and 
daily  labor,  they  found  places  in  Missouri,  where  they  laid 
the  cornerstones  of  temples,  in  Zion  and  her  stakes,  and 
then  had  to  retreat  to  Illinois,  to  save  the  lives  of  those  who 
could  get  away  alive  from  Missouri,  where  fell  the  Apostle 
David  W  Patten,  with  many  like  associates,  and  where 
were  imprisoned  in  loathsome  dungeons,  Joseph  and 
Hyrum,  and  many  others.  But  before  all  this  had  trans- 
pired, the  temple  at  Kirtland  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
wicked  men,  and  by  them  been  polluted,  like  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem,  and  consequently  it  was  disowned  by  the  Father 
and  the  Son 

At  Nauvoo,  Joseph  dedicated  another  temple,  the  third 
on  record.  He  knew  what  was  wanted,  for  he  had  pre- 
viously given  most  of  the  prominent  individuals  then  before 
him  their  endowment.  He  needed  no  revelation  then,  of  a 
thing1  he  had  long  experienced,  any  more  than  those  now 
do,  who  have  experienced  the  same  things.  It  is  only  where 
experience  fails,  that  revelation  is  needed. 

Before  the  Nauvoo  temple  was  completed,  Joseph  was 
murdered — murdered  at  sun  light,  under  the  protection  of 
the  most  noble  Government  that  then  existed,  and  that  now 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  639 

exists,  on  our  earth.  Has  his  blood  been  atoned  for?  No! 
And  why'1  A  martyr's  blood  to  true  religion  was  never 
atoned  for  on  our  earth.  No  man,  or  nation  of  men,  without 
the  Priesthood,  has  power  to  make  atonement  for  such  sins 
The  souls  of  all  such,  since  the  days  of  Jesus,  are  "under  the 
altar,"  and  are  crying  to  God,  day  and  night,  for  vengeance. 
And  shall  they  cry  in  vain?  God  forbid  1  He  has  prom- 
ised he  will  hear  them  in  his  own  due  time,  and  recompense 
a  righteous  reward. 

But  what  of  the  temple  in  Nauvoo?  By  the  aid  of  sword 
in  one  hand,  and  trowel  and  hammer  in  the  other,  with  fire 
arms  at  hand,  and  a  strong  band  of  police,  and  the  blessings 
of  heaven,  the  Saints,  through  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  weari- 
ness, and  watchmgs,  and  prayings,  so  far  completed  the 
temple,  despite  the  devices  of  the  mob,  that  many  received 
a  small  portion  of  their  endowment,  but  we  know  of  no  one 
who  received  it  in  its  fulness.  And  then,  to  save  the  lives 
of  all  the  Saints  from  cruel  murder,  we  removed  westward, 
and  being  led  by  the  all-searching  eye  of  the  great  Jehovah, 
we  arrived  at  this  place. 

Of  our  journey  hither,  we  need  say  nothing,  only,  God 
led  us  Of  the  sufferings  of  those  who  were  compelled  to, 
and  did,  leave  Nauvoo  in  the  winter  of  1846,  we  need  say 
nothing.  Those  who  experienced  it  know  it,  and  those 
who  did  not,  to  tell  them  of  it  would  be  like  exhibiting  a 
beautiful  painting  to  a  blind  man. 

We  will  not  stop  to  tell  you  of  the  sufferings  of  widows 
and  orphans  on  Omaha  lands,  while  their  husbands  and 
fathers  were  traversing  the  burning  plains  of  the  south,  to 
fight  the  battles  of  a  country  which  had  banished  them 
from  civilization,  for  they  secured  the  land  on  which  we 
dwell,  from  our  Nation's  foe,  exposed  the  gold  of  California, 


640  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  turned  the  world  upside  down.  All  these  things  are 
before  you,  you  know  them,  and  we  need  not  repeat  them 

While  these  things  were  transpiring  with  the  Saints  in 
the  wilderness,  the  temple  at  Nauvoo  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy,  who  polluted  it  to  that  extent  the  Lord  not 
only  ceased  to  occupy  it,  but  he  loathed  to  have  it  called  by 
his  name,  and  permitted  the  wrath  of  its  possessors  to 
purify  it  by  fire,  as  a  token  of  what  will  speedily  fall  upon 
them  and  their  habitations  unless  they  repent 

But  what  are  we  here  for,  this  day?  To  celebrate  the 
birthday  of  our  religion '  To  lay  the  foundation  of  a  temple 
to  the  Most  High  God,  so  that  when  his  Son,  our  Elder 
Brother,  shall  again  appear,  he  may  have  a  place  where  he 
can  lay  his  head,  and  not  only  spend  a  night  or  a  day,  but 
find  a  place  of  peace,  that  he  may  stay  till  he  can  say,  "I 
am  satisfied  " 

Brethren,  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  satisfied  with  our 
proceedings  this  day?  Shall  we  have  a  house  on  the  earth 
which  he  can  call  his  own?  Shall  we  have  a  place  where 
he  can  lay  his  head,  and  rest  over  night,  and  tarry  as  long 
as  he  pleases,  and  be  satisfied  and  pleased  with  his  accom- 
modations ? 

These  are  questions  for  you  to  answei.  If  you  say  yes, 
you  have  got  to  do  the  work,  or  it  will  not  be  done  We 
do  not  want  any  whiners  about  this  temple  If  you  cannot 
commence  cheerfully,  and  go  through  the  labor  of  the  whole 
building1  cheerfully,  start  for  California,  and  the  quicker 
the  better.  Make  you  a  golden  calf,  and  worship  it.  If 
your  care  for  the  ordinances  of  salvation,  for  yottrsclvesv 
your  living,  and  dead,  is  not  first  and  foremost  in  your 
hearts,  in  your  actions,  and  in  everything  you  possess,  go ! 
Pay  your  debts,  if  you  have  any,  and  go  in  peace,  and  prove 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  641 

to  God  and  all  his  Saints  that  you  are  what  you  profess  to 
be,  by  your  acts. 

But  if  you  are  what  you  profess  to  be,  do  your  duty- 
stay  with  the  Saints,  pay  your  tithing,  and  be  prompt  in 
paying,  as  you  are  in  feeding  your  family ,  and  the  temple, 
of  which  we  have  now  laid  the  southeast  corner  stone,  will 
arise  in  beauty  and  grandeur,  in  a  manner  and  time  which 
you  have  not  hitherto  known  or  contemplated 

The  Saints  of  these  valleys  have  grown  in  riches,  and 
abundance  of  the  comforts  of  life,  in  a  manner  hitherto  un- 
paralleled on  the  page  of  history,  and  if  they  will  do  by  their 
Heavenly  Father  as  he  has  done  by  them,  soon  will  this 
temple  be  inclosed.  But  if  you  go  in  for  a  speculation 
with  passers  by,  as  many  have  hitherto  done,  you  will  not 
live  to  see  the  topstone  of  this  temple  laid ;  and  your  labors 
and  toils  for  yourselves  and  friends,  dead  and  alive,  will  be 
worse  than  though  you  had  no  existence. 

We  dedicate  this,  the  southeast  corner  stone  of  this 
temple,  to  the  Most  High  God  May  it  remain  in  peace  till 
it  has  done  its  work,  and  until  he  who  has  inspired  our 
hearts  to  fulfil  the  prophecies  of  his  holy  Prophets,  that  the 
house  of  the  Lord  should  be  reared  in  the  "Tops  of  the 
Mountains"  shall  be  satisfied,  and  say,  "It  is  enough  "  And 
may  every  tongue,  pen,  and  weapon,  that  may  rise  against 
this  or  any  other  corner  stone  of  this  building,  feel  the  wrath 
and  scourging  of  an  incensed  God!  May  sinners  in  Zion 
be  afraid,  and  fearfulness  surprise  the  hypocrite,  from  this 
hour,  And  may  all  who  do  not  feel  to  say  Amen,  go  speed- 
ily to  that  long  night  of  rest  from  which  no  sleeper  will 
awake,  till  roused  by -the  trump  of  the  second  resurrection 
2  29-33. 

St.  George  Temple — Now  we  have  a  temple  which  will 


642  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

all  be  finished  in  a  few  days,  and  of  which  there  is  enough 
completed  to  commence  work  therein,  which  has  not  been 
done  since  the  days  of  Adam,  that  we  have  any  knowledge 
of  18  304. 

We  have  dedicated  this  spot  of  ground  upon  which  we 
expect  to  erect  a  temple  in  which  to  administer  the  or- 
dinances of  the  House  of  God.  Into  this  house,  when  it  is 
completed,  we  expect  to  enter  to  enjoy  the  blessings  of  the 
Priesthood,  and  receive  our  washings,  our  anointings,  our 
endowments,  and  our  seahngs,  and  the  brethren  will  be 
sealed  to  brethren  to  connect  the  links  and  make  perfect  the 
chain  from  ourselves  to  Father  Adam,  This  is  the  object 
of  the  temple  which  we  are  about  to  commence  building 
at  this  place  19 .33. 

Never  have  I  seen  to  so  great  an  extent  that  willingness 
to  labor  for  the  cause  of  nghteousness,  which  was  witnessed 
in  the  temple  at  St.  George  last  winter.  The  Spirit  of  God 
pervaded  the  hearts  of  the  brethren  and  sisters,  and  how 
willing  they  were  to  labor '  This  work  will  continue,  and 
the  brethren  and  sisters  will  go  into  the  temples  of  the  Lord, 
to  officiate  for  those  who  have  died  without  the  Gospel  from 
the  days  of  Father  Adam  to  the  winding  up  scene,  until 
every  one  is  officiated  for;  who  can  or  will  receive  the 
Gospel  so  that  all  may  have  the  opportunity  and  privileges 
of  life  and  salvatiqn 

Don't  you  think  we  have  a  work  to  perform?  Yes,  and 
it  will  take  a  thousand  years  to  accomplish  it  In  the 
temple  last  winter  the  brethren  and  sisters  enjoyed  them- 
selves the  best  that  they  ever  did  in  their  lives  So  they 
said  And  our  children,  just  old  enough  to  work,  how  hap- 
py they  were!  They  would  exclaim,  "I  never  knew  any- 
thing about  'Mormonism'  before !"  If  vou  were  in  the  tern- 


TEMPLES  AND  SALVATION  FOR  THE  DEAD  643 

pie  of  God  working  for  the  living  and  the  dead,  your  eyes 
and  hearts  would  not  be  after  the  fashions  of  the  world, 
nor  the  wealth  of  the  world.  Yet  the  whole  of  this  world's 
wealth  belongs  to  the  Lord,  and  he  can  give  to  whomsoever 
he  pleases  19  45. 

I  am  aware  that  you  wish  to  hear  something  of  our 
labors  in  the  south.  I  will  say  that  we  have  had  a  blessed 
time,  such  a  time  as  no  other  people  on  the  earth  have  en- 
joyed for  many  centimes,  that  we  have  any  knowledge  of 
We  have  been  permitted  to  enjoy  privileges  for  the  posses- 
sion of  which  we  have  been  striving  and  laboring  for  many 
years.  For  almost  half  a  century  we  have  been  exerting 
ourselves  that  we  might  have  the  privilege  of  entering  into 
a  temple  of  God,  there  to  officiate  and  receive  the  ordi- 
nances of  his  holy  house,  both  for  ourselves  and  for  our 
friends  that  have  slept  without  the  Gospel  This  privilege 
and  blessing  we  have  not  enjoyed  until  within  a  very  few 
months  past  The  feeling  experienced  by  those  who  have 
participated  in  the  blessings  administered  in  the  temple  is 
something  which  cannot  be  described  to  your  understand- 
ing Those  only  who  have  shared  with  us  in  the  temple 
ordinances  know  for  themselves  the  satisfaction  there  is 
in  realizing  that  we  are  indeed  co-workers  with  our  Lord 
and  Savior;  that  we  bear  a  humble  part  in  the  great  work 
of  salvation,  that  we  have  the  privilege  of  receiving  and 
obeying  the  truth,  and  of  securing  to  ourselves  that  happi- 
ness which  the  Gospel  alone  affords ;  and  not  only  of  per- 
forming these  ordinances  for  ourselves,  but  of  doing  the 
necessary  work  for  our  parents  and  forefathers  who  have 
slept  without  the  Gospel,  that  they  may  partake  also  of  the 
waters  of  life,  and  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh 
This  is  a  privilege,  a  blessing,  which  no  one  can  sense  un- 


644  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

less  he  is  in  possession  of  it.  We  are  happy  to  know  by  our 
faith  and  feelings  through  the  spirit  of  revelation  within  us 
that  our  labors  have  been  accepted  of  the  Lord.  We  have 
enjoyed  ourselves  exceedingly  in  the  society  of  each  other; 
the  aged,  the  middle-aged  and  the  youth  have  rejoiced  and 
been  made  glad  in  this  glorious  work.  19.1. 

"We  are  now  prepared  to  attend  to  baptizing  and  giv- 
ing endowments,  and  shall  appoint  Tuesdays  and  Wednes- 
days for  baptisms,  and  Thursdays  and  Fridays  for  endow- 
ments and  sealings,  as  a  standing  appointment  for  the 
present."  18-305. 

I  am  so  thankful  we  have  completed  our  temple,  it  is 
the  greatest  blessing  that  could  be  bestowed  upon  us.  I 
know  of  nothing  that  could  equal  it.  But  we  are  not  satis- 
fied with  this  one,  we  must  hurry  the  building  of  another 
one,  and  thus  another  one  and  so  on,  and  perform  the  great 
work  therein  that  is  required  at  our  hands.  19 :222. 

We  enjoy  privileges  that  are  enjoyed  by  no  one  else  on 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Suppose  we  were  awake  to  this  thing, 
namely,  the  salvation  of  the  human  family,  this  house 
would  be  crowded,  as  we  hope  it  will  be,  from  Monday 
morning  until  Saturday  night.  This  house  (St.  George) 
was  built  here  in  this  place  purposely,  where  it  is  warm  and 
pleasant  in  the  winter  time,  and  comfortable  to  work,  also 
for  the  Lamanites,  and  also  those  coming  from  the  south, 
and  other  places  to  receive  their  endowments,  and  other 
blessings.  18:304. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 
MAN'S  SEARCH  FOR  TRUTH  AND  SALVATION 

Man  Desires  Salvation — Honest  hearts,  the  world  over, 
desire  to  know  the  right  way.  They  have  sought  for  it,  and 
still  seek  it.  There  have  been  people  upon  the  earth  all  the 
time  who  sought  diligently  with  all  their  hearts  to  know 
the  .ways  of  the  Lord.  Those  individuals  have  produced 
good,  inasmuch  as  they  had  the  ability.  And  to  believe  that 
there  has  been  no  virtue,  no  truth,  no  good  upon  the  earth 
for  centuries,  until  the  Lord  revealed  the  Priesthood 
through  Joseph  the  Prophet,  I  shall  say  is  wrong.  There 
has  been  more  or  less  virtue  and  righteousness  upon  the 
earth  at  all  times  from  the  days  of  Adam  until  now.  That 
we  all  believe.  6:170. 

Until  they  sin  away  the  day  of  grace,  there  is  something 
in  all  persons  that  would  delight  to  rise  up  and  reject  the 
evil  and  embrace  the  truth.  There  is  not  a  person  on  the 
earth  so  vile  but,  when  he  looks  into  his  own  heart,  honors 
the  man  of  God  and  the  woman  of  God — the  virtuous  and 
holy — and  despises  his  comrades  in  iniquity  who  are  like 
himself.  There  is  not  a  man  upon  the  earth,  this  side  of 
saving  grace,  unless  he  has  sinned  so  far  that  the  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  has  ceased  to  strive  with  him  and  enlighten  his 
mind,  but  delights  in  the  good,  in  the  truth,  and  in  the 
virtuous.  8 :326. 

Reflect  for  a  moment  upon  the  sensitive  faculty  im- 
planted within  us.  We  know  when  we  touch  anything  with 
our  hands.  When  we  discern  an  object  with  our  eyes,  we 
know  that  we  see.  How  do  we  know  ?  By  a  principle  com- 
mon to  all  intelligent  beings— by  the  sensations  God  has 


646  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

placed  within  us  Were  it  not  foi  this,  the  eye  could  not 
see,  nor  sensation  be  communicated  by  touch  Were  it  not 
for  the  intelligent  principle  God  has  placed  within  us,  we 
could  neither  feel,  see,  hear,  taste,  nor  smell 

It  is  recorded  that  some  have  eyes  to  see,  and  see  not, 
ears  to  hear,  and  hear  not ,  hearts  have  they,  but  they  under- 
stand not.  You  who  are  spiritually-minded,  who  haye  the 
visions  of  your  minds  opened— have  studied  yourselves, 
your  organizations,  the  power  by  which  you  have  been  or- 
ganized, and  the  influences  that  act  upon  you,  can  under- 
stand that  the  power  that  has  given  you  physical  sensation 
is  the  power  of  the  same  God  that  gives  you  understanding 
of  the  truth.  The  latter  power  is  inward  My  inward  eyes 
see,  my  inward  hands  handle,  my  inward  taste  tastes  of  the 
word  of  God  The  Apostle  used  this  language.  He  spoke  of 
tasting  the  good  word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the  world 
to  come.  Do  you  taste  ?  Yes,  by  the  sensations  God  has 
planted  within  you.  Thousands  and  thousands  know,  by 
their  inward  and  invisible  sensation,  things  that  have  been, 
things  that  are,  and  things  that  are  in  the  future,  as  well  as 
they  know  the  color  of  a  piece  of  cloth  by  means  of 
their  outward  or  physical  vision.  When  this  inner  light 
is  taken  fiom  them,  they  become  darker  than  they  were  be- 
fore, they  cannot  understand,  and  turn  away  from  the  things 
of  God.  841 

Descend  from  the  busy,  wealth-seeking  middle  classes, 
to  the  humbler  grade  of  society,  and  follow  them  in  their 
various  occupations  and  pursuits,  and  each  one  of  them  is 
seeking  earnestly  that  which  he  imagines  to  be  salvation, 
The  poor,  ragged,  trembling  mendicant,  who  is  forced  by 
hunger  and  cold  to  drag  his  feeble  body  from  under  some 
temporary  shelter,  to  seek  a  bit  of  bread,  or  a  coin  from  his 


MAN'S  SEARCH  FOR  ,TRUTH  AND  SALVATION  647 

more  fortunate  fellow-mortal,  if  he  can  only  obtain  a  few 
crusts  of  bread  to  satisfy  the  hunger-woim  that  gnaws  his 
vitals,  and  a  few  coppers  to  pay  his  lodgings,  he  has  attained 
to  the  summit  of  his  expectations,  to  what  he  sought  for— 
salvation,  and  he  is  comparatively  happy,  but  his  happiness 
vanishes  with  the  shades  of  night,  and  his  misery  comes 
with  the  morning  light,  From  the  match-maker  up  to  the 
tradesman,  all  have  an  end  in  view,  which  they  suppose  will 
bring  to  them  salvation,  King,  courtier,  commanders,  of- 
ficers, and  common  soldiers,  the  commodore,  and  sailor  be- 
fore the  mast,  the  fair-skinned  Christian,  and  the  dark- 
skinned  savage,  all,  in  their  respective  grades  and  spheres 
of  action,  have  a  certain  point  in  view,  which,  if  they  can 
obtain,  they  suppose  will  put  them  in  possession  of  salva- 
tion 1.1. 

Humanity  Loves  Truth  and  Righteousness—What 
would  satisfy  the  children  of  men,  if  they  had  it  in  their 
possession?  Only  truth  and  the  true  principles  and  con- 
duct flowing  from  its  observance.  True,  certain  classes  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  pretty  well  satisfied  with 
themselves,  through  theijr  researches  in  the  philosophies  of 
the  day;  and  yet  they  are  not  fully  satisfied.  What  will 
satisfy  us  ?  If  we  understood  all  principles  and  powers  that 
are,  that  have  been,  and  that  are  to  come,  and  had  wisdom 
sufficient  to  control  powers  and  elements  with  which  we 
are  associated,  perhaps  we  would  then  be  satisfied.  If  this 
will  not  satisfy  the  human  mind,  there  is  nothing  that  will 
72. 

The  spirit  which  inhabits  these  tabernacles  naturally 
loves  truth,  it  naturally  loves  light  and  intelligence,  it 
naturally  loves  virtue,  God  and  godliness;  but  being  so 
closely  united  with  the  flesh  their  sympathies  are  blended, 


648  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  their  union  being  necessary  to  the  possession  of  a  ful- 
ness of  joy  to  both,  the  spirit  is  indeed  subject  to  be  in- 
fluenced by  the  sin  that  is  in  the  mortal  body,  and  to  be 
overcome  by  it  and  by  the  power  of  the  Devil,  unless  it  is 
constantly  enlightened  by  that  spirit  which  enlighteneth 
every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world,  and  by  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  imparted  through  the  Gospel  In 
this,  and  this  alone,  consists  the  warfare  between  Christ  and 
the  Devil.  11.237. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are 
inclined  to  do  right.  That  is  true  There  is  a  monitor  in 
every  person  that  would  reign  there  triumphantly,  if  per- 
mitted so  to  do,  and  lead  to  truth  and  virtue.  8 .320 

As  to  the  mortals  of  the  world,  I  have  said  it  a  great 
many  times  and  still  say  that  there  are  just  as  good  men 
and  women  on  the  earth  in  other  societies  and  communities 
as  we  have  here,  as  far  as  they  understand ;  and  we  are  after 
such  ones,  12:326. 

There  are  as  honest  men  m  other  churches  as  there  are 
m  ours.  8*357. 

Human  Family  Alike  in  Sentiments — In  reality,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  earth  do  not  vary  so  much  in  their  senti- 
ments as  they  do  in  the  explaining  of  them  to  each  other. 
This  I  have  good  reason  to  believe ,  when  feelings  and  ideas 
are  explained,  people  vary  more  in  language  than  in 
sentiment,,  yet  they  differ  widely  in  their  sentiments,  feel- 
ings, customs,  habits,  and  manner  of  life  1 .74. 

When  we  see  and  comprehend  things  in  the  spirit,  we 
oftimes  realize  an  utter  inability  to  simplify  and  tell  them 
in  our  language,  to  others;  though  we  may  receive  prin- 
ciples, and  convey  the  same  to  others,  to  some  extent  It 
would  be  a  great  consolation  to  me,  inasmuch  as  faith  comes 


MAN'S   SEARCH   FOR  TRUTH   AND   SALVATION  649 

by  hearing  the  word  of  God,  if  I  had  language  to  express  my 
feelings.  No  man  can  tell  all  that  he  can  see  in  the  spirit, 
when  the  vision  of  the  spirit  is  upon  him.  He  can  see  and 
understand  in  the  spirit  only.  He  cannot  tell  it,  yet  many 
things  may  be  given,  in  part,  to  others,  1  115. 

A  Variety  of  Human  Gifts— I  am  sensible  that  people 
are  not  gifted  and  capacitated  alike  '  There  is  not  that  depth 
of  understanding  and  intensity  of  thought  in  some  that  there 
is  in  others,  neither  is  there  the  same  scope  of  perception. 
Some  are  quick  to  apprehend,  while  others  are  slow.  6 .93 

We  all  enjoy  the  power  of  sight,  but  how  differently  we 
look  at  and  comprehend  things'  And  we  are  very  much 
like  the  people  who  have  lived  before  us  We  are  a  strange 
and  curious  composition — no  two  alike.  Of  all  the  faces 
before  me  this  afternoon  there  are  no  two  alike.  We  might 
possibly  find  those  whose  judgment  would  be  pretty  much 
alike  on  various  subjects,  still  there  are  no  two  whose  judg- 
ments are  precisely  the  same.  Human  life  is  a  great  stage, 
and  it  contains  a  very  great  variety  of  scenes  and  scenery, 
of  thought  and  of  action.  16  23. 

There  is  quite  a  diversity  in  men  as  to  their  capacity  for 
learning,  and  also  m  regard  to  retaining  what  they  learn 
Some  comprehend  their  lessons  quickly,  while  others  are  not 
so  gifted.  I  have  also  noticed  that  some  children  commit 
their  lessons  quickly  and  well,  but  ask  them  the  meaning 
and  intent  of  what  they  have  committed,  and  they  cannot 
answer  you;  while  others  pay  more  attention  to  the  intent 
and  meaning  of  what  they  learn.  Such  is  the  case  with  all 
persons,  no  matter  what  their  age,  and  some  are  capacitated 
to  receive  more  and  faster  than  others,  8.158. 

Let  the  people  tyring  out  their  talents,  and  have  the 
variety  within  them  brought  forth  and  made  manifest  so 


650  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  we  can  behold  it,  like  the  variety  in  the  works  of  na- 
ture See  the  variety  God  has  cieated— no  two  trees  alike, 
no  two  leaves,  no  two  spears  of  grass  alike.  The  same 
variety  that  we  see  in  all  the  works  of  God,  that  we  see  in 
the  features,  visages  and  forms,  exists  in  the  spirits  of  men 
Now  let  us  develop  the  variety  within  us,  and  show  to  the 
world  that  we  have  talent  and  taste,  and  prove  to  the  heav- 
ens that  our  minds  are  set  on  beauty  and  true  excellence, 
so  that  we  can  become  worthy  to  enjoy  the  society  of 
angels,  and  raise  ourselves  above  the  level  of  the  wicked 
world  and  begin  to  increase  in  faith,  and  the  power  that  God 
has  given  us,  and  so  show  to  the  world  an  example  worthy 
of  imitation  11  305 

Man's  Powers  are  Limited— The  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  have  the  pleasure  of  performing  the  labors  they  list 
to  do,  but  they  have  never  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  con- 
trolling the  results  of  their  labors,  and  never  will  until  they 
are  crowned  with  glory,  immortality  and  eternal  lives  We 
have  the  privilege  of  going  to  the  gold  mines,  or  staying  at 
home;  of  serving  God,  or  not  serving  him,  but  the  result 
of  our  acts  is  not  m  our  hands,  it  is  in  the  hands  of  our 
Father  and  God  So  it  is  with  individuals,  with  neighbor- 
hoods, with  communities,  and  with  the  nations  of  the  earth 
10.331. 

If  the  Latter-day  Saints  and  all  the  world  understood 
the  philosophy  of  their  own  being,  they  would  bow  in  hum- 
ble reverence  to  him  who  is  the  Author  of  our  being  and 
the'  Author  of  all  wisdom  and  all  knowledge  known  among 
the  children  of  men  It  is  very  little  comparatively  that 
we  do  know,  and  but  veiy  little  we  can  really  comprehend. 
It  is  believed  that  our  scientists  and  philosophers  are  very 
far  advanced,  and  that  wonderful  progress  has  been  made 


MAN'S  SEARCH   FOR  .TRUTH  AND  SALVATION  651 

in  the  nineteenth  century;  but  notwithstanding  all  the 
knowledge  and  power  of  philosophy  which  so  distinguish 
our  age,  who  among  our  most  learned  can  create  as  simple 
a  thing  as  a  spear  of  grass,  or  the  leaf  of  a  tree?  No  one; 
this  can  only  be  done  through  the  natural  process;  no  one 
can  organize  the  simplest  particle  of  element  independent 
of  the  laws  of  nature.  When  the  philosopher  of  the  age 
reaches  that  peifection  that  one  can  waft  himself  to  the 
moon  or  to  the  North  star,  or  to  any  other  of  the  fixed 
stars,  and  be  there  in  an  instant,  in  the  same  manner  that 
Jesus  did  when  he  ascended  to  the  Father  in  heaven  and 
returned  to  the  eaith  again,  then  we  may  begin  to  think 
we  know  a  little.  When  we  shall  possess  the  power  and 
knowledge  to  cause  heavenly  planets  to  take  their  position, 
giving  them  their  laws  and  boundaries  which  they  must 
obey,  and  which  they  cannot  pass,  then  we  may  begin  to  feel 
that  we  possess  a  little  wisdom  and  power.  18:259. 

If  I  look  through  my  telescope,  and  my  friends  inquire 
how  far  I  can  see,  I  tell  them  I  can  see  anything  in  sight,  no 
matter  how  far  from  me  the  object  may  be;  but  I  cannot 
see  anything  out  of  sight,  or  that  which  is  beyond  the  power 
of  the  instrument.  So  it  is  in  the  intellectual  faculties  of 
mankind;  it  is  easy  for  them  to  see  that  which  is  before 
their  eyes,  but  when  the  object  is  out  of  sight,  it  is  a  diffi- 
cult matter  for  them  to  see  it ;  and  they  are  at  a  loss  how  to 
form  an  estimate  of  it,  or  what  position  to  put  themselves 
in,  so  as  to  see  the  object  they  desire  to  see,  1:351. 

There  is  but  a  hair's  breadth  between  the  vulgar  and 
sublime.  There  is  but  a  hair's  breadth  between  the  depths 
of  infidelity  and  the  heights  of  the  faith  of  the  Gods.  Man 
is  here  like  a  feather  trembling  between  the  two,  liable  con- 
tinually to  be  operated  upon  by  the  power  of  the  enemy; 


652  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

and  it  is  through  that  power  that  the  children  of  men  are 
made  to  doubt  the  evidences  of  their  own  senses,  when,  at 
the  same  time,  If  they  would  reflect  for  a  moment  and  listen 
to  the  intelligence  which  God  has  placed  within  them,  they 
would  know,  when  they  saw  what  is  termed  a  miracle,  the 
power  by  which  it  is  wrought ;  they  would  know  when  they 
have  seen  with  their  eyes  and  felt  with  their  hands,  or  when 
they  have  had  a  heavenly  vision  7  163-164. 

Man  Must  Have  Confidence  in  Himself— We  must  be 
ourselves.  3  365. 

There  are  a  great  many  men  who  know  but  little  about 
what  they  can  do,  and  there  are  a  great  many  women  that 
never  consider  what  they  can  perform ,  people  do  not  fully 
reflect  upon  their  own  acts,  upon  their  own  ability,  and 
therefore  do  not  understand  what  they  are  capable  of  doing 
4  101 

It  is  not  for  any  man  to  think  he  is  a  cipher—that  what 
he  can  do  will  not  tell  in  this  matter,  and  say,  "They  will 
get  along-  well  enough  without  me."  1 .53 

When  a  person  is  thinking  all  the  time  he  is  little  better 
than  a  machine,  he  perverts  the  purpose  of  his  organiza- 
tion, and  injures  both  mind  and  body.  Why?  Because  the 
mental  labor  does  not  find  vent  through  the  organism  of 
the  tabernacle,  and  has  not  that  scope — that  field  of  labor 
which  it  desires,  and  which  it  was  wisely  designed  that  it 
should  have  Think  according  to  your  labor,  labor  accord- 
ing to  your  thinking.  3 .248 

Man  Always  Dependent— Shall  we  ever  see  the  time  we 
shall  be  perfectly  independent  of  every  other  being  in  all  the 
eternities?  No;  we  shall  never  see  that  time.  Many  have 
fallen  on  as  simple  ground  as  this,  and  were  I  to  use  a 
Western  term,  I  would  say,  "They  were  troubled  with  a  frig 


MAN'S  SEARCH   FOR  TRUTH  AND   SALVATION  653 

head."  Such  persons  think  they  have  power  to  do  this,  that, 
and  the  other,  but  they  are  left  to  themselves,  and  the  Lord 
loves  to  show  them  they  have  no  power.  1 :338. 

We  Must  Fight  Our  Battles— But  some  may  say,  "I 
have  faith  the  Lord  will  turn  them  away."  What  ground 
have  we  to  hope  this?  Have  I  any  good  reason  to  say  to 
my  Father  in  Heaven,  ''Fight  my  battles,"  when  he  has 
given  me  the  sword  to  wield,  the  arm  and  the  brain  that  I 
can  fight  for  myself?  Can  I  ask  him  to  fight  my  battles  and 
sit  quietly  down  waiting  for  him  to  do  so?  I  cannot  I  can 
pray  the  people  to  hearken  to  wisdom,  to  listen  to  counsel ; 
but  to  ask  God  to  do  for  me  that  which  I  can  do  for  myself 
is  preposterous  to  my  mind.  12:240-1. 

How  to  Know  Oneself—No  man  can  know  himself  un- 
less he  knows  God,  and  he  cannot  know  God  unless  he 
knows  himself.  16:75. 

Our  Good  Character  Must  Be  Cherished — When  a  man 
by  his  course  in  life  has  acquired  a  character  that  is  spotless, 
it  is  a  priceless  jewel,  and  nothing  should  induce  him  to 
barter  it  away.  If  the  wicked  try  to  bring  a  blemish  or  cast 
a  stain  upon  it  their  efforts  will  not  be  successful.  They 
may  throw  their  mud,  but  it  will  not  stain  the  garments  of 
the  pure  and  holy.  13 :218. 

"Are  our  characters  our  own  ?"  We  may  say,  "Yes,  we 
form  these  characters."  Suppose  that  we  are  fortunate 
enough  to  form  a  good,  honest  character  in  the  minds  and 
in  the  faith  of  those  who  are  acquainted  with  us,  do  not 
those  characters  belong  to  our  neighbors,  although  we  may 
be  the  framers  of  them?  And  I  would  like  to  ask,  have  we 
the  right  to  destroy  them?  It  is  a  serious  question  with  me. 
If  we  have  confidence  in  each  other,  and  our  conduct  has 
been  such  that  we  have  created  confidence  in  the  feelings  of 


654  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

our  neighbors  towaid  us,  have  we  a  right  to  destroy  that 
confidence?  Is  it  not  sacrilege?  I  will  simply  reply  by 
giving  my  views  with  regard  to  myself  Accoidmg  to  the 
knowledge  which  I  possess  it  is  a  great  deal  easier  for  an 
individual  to  preserve  a  good  character  than  to  frame  and 
make  one  if  it  is  lost  It  is  much  easier  to  keep  a  fort  when 
it  is  well  armed  and  defended  than  to  give  it  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy  and  then  regain  it  Consequently,  we  had 
better  keep  our  characters,  if  they  are  good,  than  to  suffer 
the  enemy  to  rob  us  of  them  14  277. 

The  Need  of  Leaders— The  whole  world  are  sadly  in 
want  of  what  they  call  a  master-spirit  6  *44. 

When  I  say  rule,  I  do  not  mean  with  an  iron  hand,  but 
merely  to  take  the  lead— to  lead  them  in  the  path  I  wish 
them  to  walk  in  They  may  be  determined  not  to  answer 
my  will,  but  they  are  doing  it  all  the  time  without  knowing 
it  9.195. 

It  is  not  every  man  that  is  capable  of  filling  every  sta- 
tion, though  there  is  no  man  but  what  is  capable  of  filling 
his  proper  station,  and  that,  too,  with  dignity  and  honor  to 
himself  When  you  find  a  person  that  is  capable  of  receiv- 
ing light  and  wisdom,  one  that  can  descend  to  the  capacity 
of  the  weakest  of  the  weak,  and  can  comprehend  the  high- 
est and  most  noble  intelligence  that  can  be  obtained  by  man, 
can  receive  it  with  all  ease,  and  comprehend  it,  circumscribe 
it,  understand  it  from  first  to  last,  that  is  the  man  -that  can 
ripen  for  eternity  in  a  few  years ;  that  is  the  individual  who 
is  capable  of  occupying  stations  that  many  cannot  occupy, 
4-130. 

Let  the  people  see  to  it  that  they  get  righteous  men  to  be 
their  leaders,  who  will  labor  with  their  hands  and  admin- 
ister to  their  own  necessities,  sit  in  judgment,  legislate,  and 


MAN'S  SEARCH   FOR  TRUTH  AND  SALVATION  655 

govern  in  righteousness;  and  officers  that  are  filled  with 
peace ;  and  see  to  it  that  every  man  that  goes  forth  among 
the  people  as  a  traveling  officer  is  full  of  the  fear  of  the 
Lord,  and  would  rather  do  i  ight  at  a  sacrifice  than  do  wrong 
for  a  reward.  7-12, 

Duty  and  Responsibility  of  Man — "To  mind  your  own 
business"  incorporates  the  whole  duty  of  man.  10.295 

What  is  the  duty  of  a  Latter-day  Saint?  To  do  all  the 
good  he  can  upon  the  earth,  living  in  the  discharge  of  every 
duty  obligatory  upon  him.  10 :295. 

His  labor  is  to  build  up,  not  to  destroy;  to  gather  to- 
gether, not  to  scatter  abroad ;  to  take  the  ignorant  and  lead 
them  to  wibdom;  to  pick  up  the  poor  and  bring  them  to 
comfortable  circumstances,  This  is  our  labor— what  we 
have  to  do  10:316. 

It  is  the  business  of  a  Latter-day  Saint,  in  passing 
through  the  street,  if  he  sees  a  fence  pole  down,  to  put  it  up ; 
if  he  sees  an  animal  in  the  mud  to  stop  and  help  get  it  out 
10:296. 

The  greater  our  privileges  and  the  greater  the  blessings 
bestowed  upon  us,  the  more  faithfulness  and  diligence  are 
required  in  our  callings  to  save  the  children  of  men.  7 .274. 

There  are  men  upon  whom  God  has  bestowed  gifts  and 
graces,  and  women  who  are  endowed  with  strong  mental 
ability,  and  yet  they  cannot  receive  the  truth ;  and  then  the 
truth  condemns  them;  it  leaves  them  in  darkness.  When 
they  cannot  receive  every  truth,  let  it  be  ever  so  important 
or  unimportant  to  them,  their  neglect  to  grasp  in  their  faith 
the  truth  God  reveals  for  their  benefit  weakens  them,  com- 
paratively, from  the  crowns  of  their  heads  to  the  soles  of 
their  feet,  and  the  enemy  may  have  the  advantage  over 
them  in  an  hour  when  they  think  not.  8 :59. 


656  DISCOURSES  OF  BJUGHAM  YOUNG 

Strive  to  be  righteous,  not  for  any  speculation,  but  be- 
cause righteousness  is  lovely,  pure,  holy,  beautiful,  and  ex- 
alting; it  is  designed  to  make  the  soul  happy  and  full  of  joy, 
to  the  extent  of  the  whole  capacity  of  man,  filling  him  with 
light,  glory,  and  intelligence.  8:172. 

If  we  do  the  best  we  know  how,  and  yet  commit  many 
acts  that  are  wrong  and  contrary  to  the  counsel  given  to  us, 
there  is  hope  in  our  case.  2 :132. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 
THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  TRUTH 

All  Latter-day  Saints  May  Know  the  Gospel  Is  True- 
It  is  a  special  piivilcge  and  blessing  of  the  holy  Gospel  to 
every  true  believer,  to  know  the  truth  for  himself.  1 :234. 

It  is  both  the  duty  and  privilege  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
to  know  that  their  religion  is  true.  8 :148. 

We  are  the  witnesses  of  this  great  work  which  the  Lord 
has  commenced  in  the  latter  days.  11  -213. 

Let  every  one  get  a  knowledge  for  himself  that  this  work 
is  true.  We  do  not  want  you  to  say  that  it  is  true  until 
you  know  that  it  is;  and  if  you  know  it,  that  knowledge  is 
as  good  to  you  as  though  the  Lord  came  down  and  told 
you  8 :142. 

There  is  not  a  man  or  a  woman  on  this  earth  who  re- 
ceives the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  but  what  can  testify  to  its 
truth.  11:213. 

We  must  have  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  enable 
us  to  discern  between  truth  and  error,  light  and  darkness, 
him  who  is  of  God,  and  him  who  is  not  of  God,  and  to  know 
how  to  place  everything  where  it  belongs.  That  is  the  only 
way  to  be  a  scientific  Christian;  there  is  no  other  method 
or  process  which  will  actually  school  a  person  so  that  he  can 
become  a  Saint  of  God,  and  prepare  him  for  a  celestial 
glory ;  he  must  have  within  him  the  testimony  of  the  spirit 
of  the  Gospel.  3:155. 

If  you  are  satisfied,  in  your  sensitive  powers  and  facul- 
ties, that  God  has  revealed  the  holy  Priesthood,  established 
his  Kingdom  upon  the  earth,  restored  the  fulness  of  the 
Gospel,  and  set  his  hand  to  gather  the  House  of  Israel, 


658  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

;# 

this  will  answer  your  purpose  just  as  well  as  though  you 
went  into  heaven  to  see  for  yourselves     8  261. 

If  I  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  all  true  principles  that 
have  ever  existed,  and  do  not  govern  myself  by  them,  they 
will  damn  me  deeper  in  hell  than  if  I  had  never  known  any- 
thing about  them.  1 .244 

How  a  Witness  of  the  Truth  Is  Won— I  do  not  want 
men  to  come  to  me  or  my  brethren  for  testimony  as  to  the 
truth  of  this  work;  but  let  them  take  the  Scriptures  of  divine 
truth,  and  there  the  path  is  pointed  out  to  them  as  plainly  as 
ever  a  guideboard  indicated  the  right  path  to  the  weary 
traveler.  There  they  are  directed  to  go,  not  to  Brothers 
Bngham,  Heber,  or  Daniel,  to  any  Apostle  or  Elder  in 
Israel,  but  to  the  Father  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  ask  for 
the  information  they  need.  Can  they  who  take  this  course 
in  honesty  and  sincerity  receive  information?  Will  the 
Lord  turn  away  from  the  honest  heart  seeking  for  truth  ? 
No,  he  will  not ;  he  will  prove  to  them,  by  the  revelations  of 
his  Spirit,  the  facts  m  the  case.  And  when  the  mind  is  open 
to  the  revelations  of  the  Lord  it  comprehends  them  quicker 
and  keener  than  anything  that  is  seen  by  the  natural  eye 
It  is  not  what  we  see  with  our  eyes— they  may  be  deceived 
—but  what  is  revealed  by  the  Lord  from  heaven  that  is  sure 
and  steadfast,  and  abides  forever  We  do  not  want  the  peo- 
ple to  rely  on  human  testimony,  although  that  cannot  be 
confuted  and  destroyed ,  still,  there  is  a  more  sure  word  of 
prophecy  that  all  may  gain  if  they  will  seek  it  earnestly  be- 
fore the  Lord.  12.96. 

You  and  I  must  have  the  testimony  of  Jesus  within  us, 
or  it  is  of  but  little  use  for  us  to  pretend  to  be  servants  of 
God  We  must  have  that  living  witness  within  us  4  -368 

I  will  now  make  a  few  remarks  upon  testimony    I  have 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  TRUTH  659 

heaid  a  great  many  Elders  in  this  Church,  and  people  who 
were  professing  Chiibtians  before  this  woik  was  revealed, 
testifying  of  the  things  of  God  Men  rise  up  here  and  say 
they  do  know  that  this  is  the  work  of  God,  that  Joseph  was 
a  Prophet,  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true,  that  the  reve- 
lations through  Joseph  Smith  are  true,  and  this  is  the  last 
dispensation  and  the  fulness  of  times,  wherein  God  has  set 
his  hand  to  gather  Israel  for  the  last  time,  and  redeem 
and  build  up  Zion  on  this  land.  How  do  they  know  this"1 
Persons  know  and  will  continue  to  know  and  understand 
many  things  by  the  manifestations  of  the  Spirit,  that 
through  the  organization  of  the  tabernacle  it  is  impossible 
otherwise  to  convey  Much  of  the  most  important  informa- 
tion is  alone  derived  through  the  power  and  testimony  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  speaker,  revealing  itself  to  the  under- 
standing and  spirit  of  the  hearer  This  is  the  only  way  you 
can  convey  a  knowledge  of  the  invisible  things  of  God 
8-41 

A  man  or  woman  desirous  of  knowing  the  truth,  upon 
hearing  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  proclaimed  in  truth 
and  simplicity,  should  ask  the  Father,  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
if  this  is  true.  If  they  do  not  take  this  course,  they  try  and 
argue  themselves  into  the  belief  that  they  are  as  honest  as 
any  man  or  woman  can  be  on  the  face  of  the  earth ,  but  they 
are  not,  they  are  careless  as  to  their  own  best  interests 
12,95. 

On  the  other  hand,  nothing  short  of  the  power  of  the 
Almighty,  nothing  short  of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ, 
can  prove  to  you  that  this  is  the  work  of  God  Men  un- 
inspired of  God  cannot  by  their  worldly  wisdom  disprove 
it,  or  prevail  against  it;  neither  can  they  by  wisdom  alone 
prove  it  to  be  true,  either  to  themselves  or  to  others  Their 


660  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

not  being  able  to  prevail  against  it  does  not  prove  it  to  be 
the  Kingdom  of  God,  for  there  are  many  theories  and  sys- 
tems on  the  earth,  incontrovertible  by  the  wisdom  of  the 
world,  which  are  nevertheless  false  Nothing  less  than  the 
power  of  the  Almighty,  enlightening  the  understanding  of 
men,  can  demonstrate  this  glorious  truth  to  the  human 
mind.  1.310. 

How  are  we  to  know  the  voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd 
from  the  voice  of  a  stranger?  Can  any  person  answer  this 
question?  I  can  It  is  very  easy  To  every  philosopher 
upon  the  earth,  I  say,  your  eye  can  be  deceived,  so  can 
mine;  your  ear  can  be  deceived,  so  can  mine;  the  touch  of 
your  hand  can  be  deceived,  so  can  mine ;  but  the  Spirit  of 
God  filling  the  creature  with  revelation  and  the  light  of 
eternity,  cannot  be  mistaken — the  revelation  which  comes 
from  God  is  never  mistaken  When  an  individual,  filled 
with  the  Spirit  of  God,  declares  the  truth  of  heaven,  the 
sheep  hear  that,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  pierces  their  inmost 
souls  and  sinks  deep  into  their  hearts ;  by  the  testimony  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  light  springs  up  within  them,  and  they  see 
and  understand  for  themselves.  This  is  the  way  the  Gospel 
should  be  preached  by  every  Elder  in  Israel,  and  by  this 
power  every  hearer  should  hear;  and  if  we  would  know 
the  voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  we  must  live  so  that  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  can  find  its  way  to  our  hearts,  16  74. 

Peter  was  blessed,  because  he  had  eyes  to  see ;  and  when 
he  saw  with  his  spiritual  eyes,  he  acknowledged  it  He  was 
not  so  proud  and  high-minded  as  to  turn  round  and  deny. 
If  the  conviction  of  their  own  minds  had  free  course,  and 
were  not  trammeled  through  their  erroneous  traditions, 
millions  and  millions  would  hail  this  day  with  thanksgiving 
7:8 


THE   TESTIMONY  OF  THE  TRUTH  661 

If  there  is  a  person  in  the  midst  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
— one  who  has  named  the  name  of  Christ  as  a  Latter-day 
Saint,  that  can  ask  for  any  more  literal  testimony  than  we 
have,  I  do  not  know  what  he  would  ask.  He  might  wish  to 
see  some  person  that  had  power  to  bring  file  down  from 
heaven.  Should  such  a  person  appear,  the  exercise  of  that 
power  would  by  no  means  prove  that  he  was  a  messenger 
of  salvation.  Or  suppose  that  I  should  see  a  man  capable 
of  raising  the  dead  every  hour  in  a  day,  could  I  merely  for 
that  believe  he  was  sent  of  God?  No.  Some  may  think  it 
strange,  but  should  I  see  a  man  come  along  here  and  cast 
his  cane  on  the  floor,  and  it  became  a  serpent  and  ran  out 
of  the  door,  would  I  any  more  believe  that  man  to  be  sent 
of  God  ?  No,  I  would  not.  Were  I  to  see  a  person  fill  the 
air  with  living  creatures,  turn  the  dust  into  life,  or  the  river 
Jordan  into  blood,  do  you  suppose  I  would  any  more  for 
that  consider  that  man  sent  of  God?  Not  in  the  least, 
There  is  but  one  witness — one  testimony,  pertaining  to  the 
evidence  of  the  Gospel  of  the  son  of  God,  and  that  is  the 
Spirit  that  he  diffused  among  his  disciples.  Do  his  will, 
and  we  shall  know  whether  he  speaks  by  the  authority  of 
the  Father  or  of  himself.  Do  as  he  commands  us  to  do,  and 
we  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  is  of  God  or  not 
It  is  only  by  the  revelations  of  the  Spirit  that  we  can  know 
the  things  of  God.  9  -2 

Many  men  and  women  who  have  obeyed  the  Gospel,  and" 
have  not  received  from  the  Lord  these  striking  testimonies, 
will  say,  "Well,  I  really  do  not  know  that  I  can  tell  whether 
the  Gospel  is  true  or  not "  To  all  such  I  say,  Then  you  are 
no  philosopher  at  all,  for  upon  the  rational  principles  of 
common  philosophy  you  can  tell  whether  it  is  true  or  not. 
Does  it  contain  the  seeds  of  life?  Does  it  promote  the 


662  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

plants  and  yield  the  fruits  of  life,  or  does  it  produce  the 
plants  and  yield  the  fruits  of  death?  Not  that  I  wish  to 
make  a  mere  historical  convert,  or  a  people  who  believe  his- 
torically, mathematically,  or  philosophically;  but  I  know 
and  understand  that  the  Lord  never  leaves  his  children 
without  a  witness  14  '112 

The  older  portion  of  this  community  embraced  the  truth 
through  the  conviction  of  it,  and  prayed  unto  the  Lord  for 
the  light  of  it,  and  they  received  the  testimony  of  the  Spirit 
of  God ,  but  our  children  do  not  know  the  greatness  of  their 
blessings  and  privileges  They  are  entitled  to  the  spirit  of 
the  Gospel  from  their  mothers'  wombs,  they  have  it  with 
them  all  the  time ;  they  are  born  in  it.  11  215. 

A  great  many  come  to  me  and  say,  "I  wish  to  do  exactly 
as  the  Lord  shall  direct  through  yon,  Brother  Brigham." 
If  I  had  the  word  of  the  Lord,  I  would  not  dare  give  it  to 
them,  unless  I  knew  it  was  an  absolute  duty.  They  never 
would  obey  it,  because  they  are  taught  the  word  of  the 
Lord  here  all  the  time,  but  do  they  hearken  to  it?  Those 
who  have  wisdom  within  themselves,  who  have  in  posses- 
sion the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  know  what  they  hear  from 
this  stand.  They  know  truth  from  error;  they  are  satis- 
fied, and  never  ask  the  Lord  to  give  them  more  revelation, 
but  to  give  them  grace  to  observe  and  keep  what  they  have 
received.  3  338. 

Truth  commends  itself  to  every  honest  person,  it  matters 
not  how  simply  it  is  told,  and  when  it  is  received  it  seems 
as  though  we  had  been  acquainted  with  it  all  our  lives  Tt 
is  the  testimony  of  the  majority  of  the  Latter-day  Saints 
that  when  they  first  heard  the  Gospel  preached,  as  con- 
tained m  the  Bible  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  although 
entirely  new  to  them,  it  seemed  as  though  they  already 


THE   TESTIMONY  OF  THE   TRUTH  663 

understood  it,  and  that  they  must  have  been  "Mormons" 
from  the  beginning  19,42 

I  frequently  think  that  the  only  way  for  a  man  to  prove 
any  fact  in  the  world  is  by  experience.  We  go,  for  in- 
stance, into  an  orchard  and  someone  says  there  is  a  sweet 
apple  tree,  and  he  may  say  the  same  of  other  trees,  but 
without  tasting,  how  shall  I  know  they  are  sweet?  Unless 
I  taste  of  them  I  cannot  know  it  I  may  take  the  testimony 
of  others  who  have  tasted  them,  as  to  whether  they  are 
sweet,  sour  or  bitter,  but  without  tasting  it  cannot  prove 
to  my  senses  that  they  are  so.  Now,  as  I  understand  It,  it 
is  the  same  with  all  facts  that  have  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  all  beings  in  heaven,  or  on  earth — all  facts  are  proved 
and  made  manifest  by  their  opposite,  13 .59. 

My  testimony  is  based  upon  experience,  upon  my  own 
experience,  in  connection  with  that  obtained  by  observing 
others,  To  me  it  has  become  positively  true— no  doubt  re- 
mains upon  my  mind,  whatever,  as  to  the  power  of  the  re- 
vealed will  of  heaven  to  man  upon  the  minds  of  the  people, 
when  the  principles  of  salvation  are  set  before  them  by  the 
authorized  ministers  of  heaven.  The  heavenly  truth  com- 
mends itself  to  every  person's  judgment  and  to  their  faith, 
and  more  especially  to  the  sense  of  those  who  wish  to  Jbe 
honest  with  themselves, '  with  their  God,  and  with  their 
neighbor  Yet  I  must  admit  that  all  men  are  not  operated 
upon  alike,  the  evidence  of  truth  comes  more  forcibly  to 
the  understandings  of  some  than  others  This  is  owing  to 
numerous  influences  The  Gospel  may  be  preached  to  an 
individual,  and  the  truth  commend  itself  to  the  conscience  of 
that  person,  creating  but  a  little  faith  in  its  truth,  to  which 
there  may  be  an  addition  made  If  persons  can  receive  a 
little,  it  proves  they  may  receive  more.  If  they  can  receive 


664  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM 

the  first  and  second  principles  with  an  upright  feeling,  they 
may  receive  still  more,  and  the  words  of  the  prophet  be  ful- 
filled. 2  1-2. 

My  testimony  is  positive  I  know  that  there  are 
such  cities  as  London,  Pans,  and  New  York— from  my  own 
experience  or  from  that  of  others,  I  know  that  the  sun 
shines,  I  know  that  I  exist  and  have  a  being,  and  I  testify 
that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  lives,  and  that  he 
is  the  Savioi  of  the  world.  Have  you  been  to  heaven  and 
learned  to  the  contrary?  I  know  that  Joseph  Smith  was  a 
Prophet  of  God,  and  that  he  had  many  revelations.  Who 
can  disprove  this  testimony?  Any  one  may  dispute  it,  but 
there  is  no  one  m  the  world  who  can  disprove  it  I  have 
had  many  revelations;  I  have  seen  and  lieard  for  myself,  and 
know  these  things  are  true,  and  nobody  on  earth  can  dis- 
prove them  The  eye,  the  ear,  the  hand,  all  the  senses  may 
be  deceived,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  cannot  be  deceived ;  and 
when  inspired  with  that  Spirit,  the  whole  man  is  filled  with 
knowledge,  he  can  see  with  a  spiritual  eye,  and  he  knows 
that  which  is  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  controvert  What 
I  know  concerning  God,  concerning  the  earth,  concerning 
government,  I  have  received  from  the  heavens,  not  alone 
through  my  natural  ability,  and  I  give  God  the  glory  and 
the  praise.  Men  talk  about  what  has  been  ^accomplished 
under  my  direction,  and  attribute  it  to  my  wisdom  and  abil- 
ity ;  but  it  is  all  by  the  power  of  God,  and  by  intelligence 
received  from  him  I  say  to  the  whole  world,  receive  the 
truth,  no  matter  who  presents  it  to  you  16  46 

Why  Some  Meri?  Reject  the  Gospel— I  have  often  heard 
men  say  they  were  convinced  that  "Mormonism"  was  true, 
and  that  they  would  cleave  to  it,  but  as  for  their  hearts 
being  converted,  it  is  altogether  another  thing.  6  321 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  TH£   TJXUTH  665 

Wherevei  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  has  been  preached, 
either  in  these  or  former  days,  it  has  met  with  a  class  of 
men  to  whom  the  truth  looked  lovely  and  God-like,  and  the 
spirit  within  would  prompt  them  to  embrace  it,  but  they 
find  themselves  so  advantageously  connected  in  the  world, 
and  have  so  many  interests  at  stake  if  they  should  embrace 
it,  they  conclude  that  it  will  not  do,  and  here  comes  the 
warfare  again  Some  few  will  overcome  the  reasonings  of 
the  flesh,  and  follow  the  dictates  of  the  spirit;  while  the 
great  majority  of  this  class  of  persons  are  won  over  by 
sordid  considerations  and  cleave  to  their  idols.  11  '237. 

They  would  come  now  by  thousands  and  thousands,  if 
the  Latter-day  Saints  were  only  popular.  "What,  these 
honorable  men?"  Yes,  they  would  say,  ffl  want  to  be  bap- 
tized. I  admire  your  industry,  and  your  skill  in  governing 
You  have  a  system  of  governing  that  is  not  to  be  found 
anywhere  else.  You  know  how  to  govern  cities,  terri- 
tories, or  the  world,  and  I  would  like  to  join  you  "  But 
take  care,  if  you  join  this  people  without  the  love  of  God  in 
your  soul  it  will  do  you  no  good.  If  they  were  to  do  this, 
they  would  bring  in  their  sophistry,  and  introduce  that 
which  would  poison  the  Innocent  and  honest  and  lead  them 
astray.  I  look  at  this,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  it  will  not 
do  for  the  Lord  to  make  this  people  popular.  Why?  Be- 
cause all  hell  would  want  to  be  in  the  Church  The  people 
must  be  kept  wheie  the  finger  of  scorn  can  be  pointed  at 
them  Although  it  is  admitted  that  we  are  honest,  indus- 
trious, truthful,  virtuous,  self-denying,  and,  as  a  community, 
possess  every  moral  excellence,  yet  we  must  be  looked 
upon  as  ignorant  and  unworthy,  and  as  the  offscouring  of 
society,  and  be  hated  by  the  world.  What  is  the  reason  ol 
this?  Christ  and  Baal  can  not  become  friends.  When  I 


666  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

see  this  people  grow  -  and  spread  and  prosper,  I  feel  that 
there  is  more  danger  than  when  they  are  in  poverty.  Being 
driven  from  city  to  city  or  into  the  mountains  is  nothing 
compared  to  the  danger  of  our  becoming  rich  and  being 
hailed  by  outsiders  as  a  first-class  community.  I  am  afraid 
of  only  one  thing  What  is  that?  That  we  will  not  live 
our  religion,  and  that  we  will  partially  slide  a  little  from  the 
path  of  rectitude,  and  go  part  of  the  way  to  meet  our 
friends  12  272 

Testimony  Not  Built  Upon  a  Man — Some  men  declare 
that  they  wish  to  have  such  confidence  in  their  leaders  a^ 
not  to  enquire  whether  this  or  that  is  right,  but  to  perform 
what  they  are  bid  to  do.  No  man  will  have  that  degree  of 
confidence,  unless  it  is  founded  in  truth.  4  296. 

Joseph  Smith  a  Witness  of  the  Truth— The  Devil  and 
his  emissaries  thought  if  they  could  only  destroy  Joseph 
Smith,  that  the  system  he  had  laid  the  foundation  to  build 
upon  would  crumble  and  fall  to  rise  no  more ,  but  it  is  evi- 
dent to  all,  that  since  the  death  of  Joseph,  the  system  has 
flourished  with  greater  vigor  than  before,  for  where  there 
is  a  testament  in  full  force,  there  must  also  of  necessity  be 
the  death  of  the  testator,  for  a  testament  is  of  force  after 
men  are  dead.  10:304. 

Whosoever  confesseth  that  Joseph  Smith  was  sent  of 
God  to  reveal  the  holy  Gospel  to  the  children  of  men,  and 
lay  the  foundation  for  gathering  Israel,  and  building  up  the 
Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  that  spirit  is  of  God,  and 
every  spirit  that  does  not  confess  that  God  has  sent  Joseph 
Smith,  and  revealed  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  and  through 
him,  is  of  Antichrist,  no  matter  whether  it  is  found  in  a 
pulpit  or  on  a  throne,  8 :176. 

This  whole  people  were  cast  out  for  believing  that  God 


THE  TESTIMONY  OF  THE  TRUTH  667 

spake  to  Joseph  Smith  and  chose  him  to  be  his  messenger — 
his  Apostle— to  this  generation  I  testify  to  you  that  we 
were  not  cast  out  for  teaching  and  practicing  the  Patriarchal 
doctrine,  as  our  enemies  now  declare,  for  at  that  time  it 
had  not  been  published  to  the  world,  but  it  was  for  believ- 
ing, preaching  and  practicing  the  doctrines  of  the  New 
Testament ,  for  believing  in  the  events  to  take  place  in  the 
latter  days,  as  foretold  by  the  ancient  Prophets,  and,  for 
believing  the  declarations  of  Joseph  Smith,  that  Jesus  was 
indeed  the  Christ  and  the  Savior  of  all  men,  but  especially 
of  them  that  believe,  and  that  he  had  set  his  hand  the 
second  time  to  gather  his  people,  to  establish  his  Kingdom, 
to  build  up  Zion,  redeem  Jerusalem,  empty  the  earth  of 
wickedness  and  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness.  9  366 
A  Duty  to  Listen  to  the  Truth— Do  not  say,  "You  are 
Mormons,  and  we  do  not  want  to  hear  anything  about  you." 
Wait  until  you  have  searched  and  researched  and  have  ob- 
tained wisdom  to  understand  what  we  preach,  or  to  prove 
it  to  be  untrue.  If  you  cannot  prove  it  untrue  and  are  not 
disposed  to  receive  it,  let  it  alone  If  it  is  the  work  of  God, 
it  will  stand.  What  do  you  say,  outsiders?  What  do  you 
say,  Christian  world  and  heathen  world?  If  we  have  the 
truth  to  present  to  you,  which  will  do  you  good  here  and 
hereafter,  which  will  save  you  today  and  tomorrow  and 
every  day,  until  it  saves  you  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  and 
brings  you  to  a  perfect  state  of  felicity  and  happiness  in  the 
presence  of  the  Father,  will  you  have  it?  12,313-314 

In  the  Christian  world,  thousands  and  millions  of  them 
are  as  close  to  the  truth  as  any  man  that  ever  lived  upor- 
the  face  o£  the  earth,  so  far  as  moral,  Christian  deportmer5 
is  concerned,    I  can  find  a  great  many  of  this  communit 
who  live  as  moral  lives  as  men  and  women  can,    Is  the  e^ 


668  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNd 

anything  else  necessary  and  important?  Yes — so  to  live 
as  to  have  the  light  of  the  Spirit  of  truth  abiding  within  you 
day  by  day,  that  when  you  hear  the  truth,  you  know  it  as 
well  as  you  know  the  faces  of  your  father's  family,  and 
also  understand  every  manifestation  produced  by  erroneous 
principles.  6:331. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
THE  CHURCH  AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON  EARTH 

Israel — Who  are  Israel  ?  They  are  those  who  are  of  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  who  have  received  the  promise  through 
their  forefathers;  and  all  the  rest  of  the  children  of  men, 
who  receive  the  truth,  are  also  Israel.  My  heart  is  al- 
ways drawn  out  for  them,  whenever  I  go  to  the  throne  of 
grace.  1 :107. 

Israel  is  dispersed  among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth; 
the  blood  of  Ephraim  is  mixed  with  the  blood  of  all  the 
earth.  Abraham's  seed  is  mingled  with  the  rebellious  seed 
through  the  whole  world  of  mankind.  16 :75. 

The  Elders  who  have  arisen  in  this  Church  and  King- 
dom are  actually  of  Israel.  2 :268 

Those  islanders  and  the  natives  of  this  country  are  of 
the  House  of  Israel — of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  to  them 
pertain  the  promise;  and  every  soul  of  them,  sooner  or 
later,  will  be  saved  in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  be  destroyed 
root  and  branch.  6-199. 

Again,  if  a  pure  Gentile  firmly  believes  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  yields  obedience  to  it,  in  such  a  case  I 
will  give  you  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Joseph :  "The  effect 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  a  Gentile,  is  to  purge  out  the  old 
blood,  and  make  him  actually  of  the  seed  of  Abraham." 
2.269. 

"We  are  to  build  up  and  establish  Zion,  gather  the  House 
of  Israel,  and  redeem  the  nations  of  the  earth.  This  people 
have  this  work  to  do,  whether  we  live  to  see  it  or  not.  This 
is  all  in  our  hands.  8 :68. 

It  is  obligatory  upon  us  to  see  that  the  House  of  Israel 


670  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them ,  to  do  all  that  is  m  our 
power  to  gather  them  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  and  to 
gather  up  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  before  the  Gospel  can 
go  with  success  to  the  Jews  12  113 

We  are  now  gathering  the  children  of  Abraham  who 
have  come  through  the  loins  of  Joseph  and  his  sons,  more 
especially  through  Ephraim,  whose  children  are  mixed 
among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  The  sons  of  Ephraim 
are  wild  and  uncultivated,  unruly,  ungovernable  The 
spirit  in  them  is  turbulent  and  resolute ,  they  are  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race,  and  they  are  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth, 
bearing1  the  spirit  of  rule  and  dictation,  to  go  forth  from 
conquering  to  conquer  They  search  wide  creation  and  scan 
every  nook  and  corner  of  this  earth  to  find  out  what  is  upon 
and  within  it.  I  see  a  congregation  of  them  before  me  to- 
day No  hardship  will  discourage  these  men,  they  will 
penetrate  the  deepest  wilds  and  overcome  almost  insur- 
mountable difficulties  to  develop  the  tieasures  of  the  earth, 
to  further  their  indomitable  spirit  for  adventure  10  188 

The  Church  and  the  Kingdom— Out  of  this  Church  will 
grow  the  Kingdom  which  Daniel  saw.  This  is  the  very  peo- 
ple that  Daniel  saw  would  continue  to  grow  and  spread  and 
prosper,  and  if  we  are  not  faithful,  others  will  take  our 
places,  for  this  is  the  Church  and  people  that  will  possess 
the  Kingdom  forever  and  ever  S  143 

We  shall  preach  on,  we  shall  struggle  on  until  the  king- 
doms of  this  world  shall  become  the  Kingdom  of  our  God 
and  his  Christ  11  240 

This  is  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth  The  people 
that  sit  before  me,  in  connection  with  the  many  thousands 
that  are  upon  the  earth,  are  the  people  of  God  If  we  have 
become  so  taught  that  the  Lord  sees  that  we  shall  be  capa- 


THE   CHURCH   AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON   EARTH        671 

ble  of  managing,  governing,  and  controlling  the  Kingdom 
of  God  upon  the  earth  in  a  more  perfect  manner  than  it  has 
been  heretofore,  you  may  rest  assured  that  this  people  are 
bound  to  victory.  Just  as  fast  as  we  are  capable  of  rightly 
dispensing  the  principles  of  power,  of  light,  of  knowledge, 
of  intelligence,  of  wealth,  of  heaven,  and  of  earth,  just  so 
fast  will  they  be  bestowed  upon  this  people.  5 :327. 

If  this  Gospel  goes  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth 
and  fulfils  its  destiny  as  predicted  by  the  Prophets,  by  Jesus 
and  by  the  Apostles,  it  will  eventually  swallow  up  all  the 
good  there  is  on  the  earth ;  it  will  take  every  honest,  truth- 
ful and  virtuous  man  and  woman  and  every  good  person 
and  gather  them  into  the  fold  of  this  Kingdom,  and  this 
society  will  enlarge,  spread  abroad  and  multiply,  and  will  in- 
crease in  knowledge  until  the  members  composing  it  know 
enough  to  lengthen  out  their  days  and  man's  longevity  re- 
turns, and  they  begin  to  live  as  men  did  anciently.  11-303. 

What  will  be  the  final  result  of  the  restoration  of  the 
Gospel,  and  the  destiny  of  the  Latter-day  Saints?  If  they 
are  faithful  to  the  Priesthood  which  God  has  bestowed  upon 
us,  the  Gospel  will  revolutionize  the  whole  world  of  man- 
kind; the  earth  will  be  sanctified,  and  God  will  glorify  it, 
and  the  Saints  will  dwell  upon  it  in  the  presence  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  12 :113. 

An  Object  of  the  Church— We  are  exhorted  to  make  our 
own  heaven,  our  own  paradise,  our  own  Zion.  9:170. 

We  have  an  object  in  view,  and  that  is  to  gain  influ- 
ence among  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  its  righteousness, 
power  and  glory,  and  to  exalt  the  name  of  the  Deity,  and 
cause  that  name  by  which  we  live  to  be  revered  everywhere 
that  he  may  be  honored,  that  his  works  may  be  honored, 


672  DISCOURSES  OF  BSIGHAM  YOUNG 

that  we  may  be  honored  ourselves,  and  deport  ourselves 
worthy  of  the  character  of  his  children  11  274 

If  the  Latter-day  Saints  think,  when  the  Kingdom  of 
God  is  established  on  the  earth,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth  will  join  the  Church  called  Latter-day  Saints,  they 
are  mistaken  I  presume  there  will  be  as  many  sects  and 
parties  then  as  now.  Still,  when  the  Kingdom  of  God 
triumphs,  every  knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  confess 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  to  the  glory  of  the  Father  Even 
the  Jews  will  do  it  then,  but  will  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  be 
obliged  to  belong  to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints ?  No ,  not  by  any  means  Jesus  said  to  his  dis- 
ciples, "In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions ;  were  it 
not  so  I  would  have  told  you ,  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also,"  etc.  There 
are  mansions  in  sufficient  numbeis  to  suit  the  different 
classes  of  mankind,  and  a  variety  will  always  exist  to  all 
eternity,  requiring  a  classification  and  an  arrangement  into 
societies  and  communities  in  the  many  mansions  which  aie 
in  the  Lord's  house,  and  this  will  be  so  for  ever  and  ever, 
Then  do  not  imagine  that  if  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  estab- 
lished over  the  whole  earth,  all  the  people  will  become 
Latter-day  Saints  They  will  cease  their  persecutions 
against  the  Church  of  Jesus  Chiist,  and  they  will  be  willing- 
to  acknowledge  that  the  Lord  is  God,  and  that  Jesus  is  the 
Savior  of  the  world,  11  275 

The  Kingdom  of  God  to  Develop  Gradually—The  King- 
dom we  are  talking  about,  preaching  about  and  trying  to 
build  up  is  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  not  in  the 
starry  heavens,  noi  in  the  sun  We  are  trying  to  establish 
the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth  to  which  really  and  prop- 
erly everything  that  pertains  to  men— their  feelings,  their 


THE  CHURCH  AND  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON   EARTH        673; 

faith,  their  affections,  their  desires,  and  every  act  of  their' 
lives — belong,  that  they  may  be  ruled  by  it  spiritually  and 
temporally,  10.328. 

In  that  helpless  infant  upon  its  mother's  breast  we  see 
a  man,  an  Apostle,  a  Saint,— yea  generations  of  men  with 
kingdoms,  thrones,  and  dominions.  Then  the  life  of  that 
little  frail  mortal  is  fraught  with  great  and  mighty  results, 
and  its  value  is  inestimable. 

If  this  be  true  of  an  infant,  what  may  we  expect  to  grow 
out  of  this  infant  Kingdom?  We  may  look  forward  to  all 
that  belongs  to  greatness  and  goodness,  to  might  and  power, 
to  dominion  and  glory.  Then  how  jealously  we  ought  to 
guard  the  rights  of  this  infant  power?  How  zealous  and 
constant  we  should  be  in  maintaining  its  interests  and  sup- 
porting its  laws  and  sacred  institutions!  9:170-171. 

We  are  called  to  establish  the  Kingdom  of  God  literally, 
just  as  much  as  we  are  spiritually.  If  we  do  not  build  it 
up  in  a  temporal  point  of  view,  we  will  not  accomplish  what 
we  are  called  to  do ;  we  will  come  short  of  our  duty,  and  be 
removed  out  of  the  way,  and  others  will  be  called  to  suc- 
ceed us  who  will  perform  the  labor  we  are  called  to  do. 
10:332. 

I  do  not  believe  that  the  City  of  Enoch  made  greater  ad- 
vancement, in  the  same  period  of  time,  than  this  people  have 
done  in  the  twenty-six  years  of  their  career,  which  is  saying 
a  great  deal  for  them.  3 :374 

The  Effect  of  the  Kingdom  of  God—What  is  the  King- 
dom of  God  going  to  accomplish  on  the  earth?  It  will 
revolutionize  not  only  the  United  States,  but  the  whole 
world,  and  will  go  forth  from  the  morning  to  the  evening, 
from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same, 
so  shall  be  the  ushering  forth  of  the  Gospel  until  the  whole 


674  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIG  HAM  YOUNG 

earth  is  deluged  with  it,  and  the  righteous  are  gathered 
2  190. 

No  unrighteous  person,  no  person  who  is  filthy  in  their 
feelings  will  ever  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  3  275 

As  this  Kingdom  of  God  grows,  spreads,  increases,  and 
prospers  in  its  course,  it  will  cleanse,  thoroughly  purge,  and 
purify  the  world  from  wickedness  He  who  supposes  his 
house  to  be  built  upon  a  rock,  and  well  calculated  to  with- 
stand any  test  that  may  be  applied  to  it,  finds,  when  it  is 
tried  by  the  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  that  its  foundation 
proves  to  be  sand,  and  the  whole  fabric  appears  nothing 
in  which  a  man  may  securely  trust  for  salvation.  1  190 

When  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  fully  set  up  and  established 
on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  takes  the  preeminence  over  all 
other  nations  and  kingdoms,  it  will  piotect  the  people  in  the 
enjoyment  of  all  their  rights,  no  matter  what  they  believe, 
what  they  profess,  or  what  they  worship  If  they  wish  to 
worship  a  god  of  their  own  workmanship,  instead  of  the 
true  and  living  God,  all  right,  if  they  will  mind  their  own 
business  and  let  other  people  alone  2  310 

If  we  wish  this  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth, 
to  be  like  a  fine,  healthy,  growing  tree,  we  should  be  care- 
ful not  to  let  the  dead  branches  remain  too  long.  3*274. 

Government  of  the  Kingdom  of  God— Every  kingdom 
will  be  blotted  out  of  existence,  except  the  one  whose  ruling 
spirit  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  whose  king  is  the  Lord.  2  124 

It  may  be  asked  what  I  mean  by  the  Kingdom  of  God 
The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  has  been  established  now  for 
many  years,  and  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  got  to  be  estab- 
lished, even  that  Kingdom  which  will  circumscribe  all  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  It  will  yet  give  laws  to  ^very  na- 
tion that  exists  upon  the  earth.  This  is  the  Kingdom  that 


THE   CHURCH   AND   KINGDOM   OF   GOD  ON    EARTH        675 

Daniel,  the  Prophet,  saw  should  be  set  up  in  the  last  days 
What  Daniel  saw  should  come  to  pass  m  the  latter  times  is 
believed  by  nearly  all  the  religious  societies  of  Christen- 
dom. The  only  great  difference  between  us  and  them  is  in 
the  method  of  its  establishment  11.275. 

When  this  Kingdom  is  organized  in  any  age,  the  Spirit 
of  it  dwells  in  the  hearts  of  the  faithful,  while  its  visible  de- 
partment exists  among  the  people,  with  laws,  ordinances, 
helps,  governments,  officers,  administrators,  and  every  other 
appendage  necessary  for  itb  complete  operation  to  the  at- 
tainment of  the  end  in  view  10*18 

The  Lord  designs  to  build  up  a  Kingdom  that  will  be 
both  a  spiritual  and  temporal  Kingdom  upon  the  earth  The 
earth  and  the  kingdoms  thereof  will  be  given  unto  the 
Saints  of  the  Most  High  God  Will  they  be  rich  then^  Do 
you  not  think  they  will  possess  the  gold  mines  and  the 
treasures  of  the  earth  ?  Yes  But  some  cry  out,  "That  is 
not  yet'7  That  is  right  How  long  will  it  be  until  then? 
As  soon  as  we  are  prepared  to  receive  them  10  332 

If  we  ever  attain  faith  enough  to  obtain  the  King- 
dom of  God,  as  we  anticipate,  we  shall  obtain  all  the  wealth 
there  is  for  this  Kingdom  in  time  and  eternity  We  shall 
not  rob  other  kingdoms,  but  we  shall  possess  the  eternity 
of  matter  that  lies  in  the  path  of  the  onward  progress  of 
this  Kingdom,  and  still  eternity  and  its  fulness  will  continue 
to  stretch  out  before  us.  The  great  powers  of  eternal  wis- 
dom will  be  exercised  to  enhance  the  wealth,  beauty,  ex- 
cellency and  glory  of  this  Kingdom,  previous  to  its  being 
introduced  into  the  presence  of  the  Father  and  the  Son, 
This  work  we  have  to  help  perform  10  301 

I  have  learned  years  ago  that  the  Lord  stands  at  the 
helm  that  guides  Zion's  ship  He  is  its  Dictator ;  and  un- 


676  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

less  we  work  exactly  to  the  line  that  is  marked  out  by  him, 
our  works  will  be  in  vain.  This  has  been  my  experience 
from  the  beginning,  In  every  branch  and  avenue  of  our 
lives  we  must  learn  to  work  to  the  line  of  truth.  It  is  foi 
us  to  know  what  ought  to  be  done,  and  then  do  it  Though 
there  should  be  no  earthly  prospect  of  accomplishing  it,  we 
can  certainly  try ,  and  if  we  try  with  all  our  might,  that  act 
will  prove  at  least  a  resolute  and  determined  mind,  adorned 
with  patience  and  perseverance  And  if,  with  all  our  reso- 
lute endeavors  we  are  still  unable  to  accomplish  our  pur- 
pose, the  Lord  will  be  very  likely  to  stretch  forth  his  hand 
and  give  the  victory  6  315 

If  this  people  live  to  the  principles  they  have  embraced, 
they  will  be  capable  of  counselling  the  nations ;  for  we  build 
upon  a  just  foundation,  and  our  piinciples  are  truth,  right- 
eousness, and  holiness.  Let  us  stand  by  those  principles 
until  they  crush  out  folly  from  these  valleys,  and  we  become 
teachers  of  wisdom  to  the  nations,  7  66, 

It  Will  Continue— All  is  right.  God  can  carry  on  his 
own  work.  This  Kingdom  will  stand  forever  8  69 

The  Lord  will  never  suffer  this  people  to  dwindle  down, 
and  be  hid  up  in  a  corner,  it  cannot  be ,  neither  does  he  want 
any  person  to  help  them  but  himself  1 .364. 

God  has  commenced  to  set  up  his  Kingdom  on  the  earth, 
and  all  hell  and  its  devils  are  moving  against  it.  Hell  is 
yawning  and  sending  forth  its  devils  and  their  imps.  What 
for?  To  destroy  the  Kingdom  of  God  from  the  earth  But 
they  cannot  do  it  5  75 

The  soldiers  of  the  Lord  are  in  the  mountains,  in  the 
canyons,  upon  the  plains,  on  the  hills,  along  the  mighty 
streams,  and  by  the  rivulets  Thousands  and  thousands 


THE  CHURCH  AND   KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON   EARTH        677 

more  are  for  us  than  those  who  are  against  us,  and  you  need 
not  have  any  fears.  5 :57 

My  heart  is  comforted  I  behold  the  people  of  God,  that 
they  have  been  hunted,  cast  out,  driven  from  the  face  of 
men.  The  powers  of  earth  and  hell  have  striven  to  destroy 
this  Kingdom  from  the  earth  The  wicked  have  succeeded 
in  doing  so  in  former  ages,  but  this  Kingdom  they  cannot 
destroy,  because  it  is  the  last  dispensation — because  it  is 
the  fulness  of  times  It  is  the  dispensation  of  all  dispensa- 
tions, and  will  excel  in  magnificence  and  glory  every  dis- 
pensation that  has  ever  been  committed  to  the  children  of 
men  upon  the  earth.  The  Lord  will  bring  again  Zion,  re- 
deem his  Israel,  plant  his  standard  upon  the  earth,  and 
establish  the  laws  of  his  Kingdom,  and  those  laws  will  pre- 
vail 8  36. 

If  there  are  any  hearts  or  spirits  in  this  city,  or  else- 
where, that  are  fearfully  wondering  whether  or  not  we  are 
going  to  be  destroyed,  or  whether  this  Church  will  endure 
and  become  the  mighty  power  in  the  earth,  according  to  the 
predictions  of  the  servants  of  God,  I  will  say  to  all  such 
trembling  souls,  you  need  entertain  no  such  fears  You 
need  have  only  one  fear,  and  that  is  with  regard  to  your- 
selves, lest  you  should  leave  the  light  that  the  Lord  has  im- 
parted to  you  and  wander  into  darkness,  returning  to  the 
beggarly  elements  of  the  world,  lusting  again  after  the 
things  of  the  world  in  their  sinful  state.  19 :3. 

We  cannot  help  being  Saints;  we  cannot  prevent  the 
rolling  forth  of  the  work  of  God;  in  and  of  ourselves  we 
have  no  power  to  control  our  own  minds  and  passions ,  but 
the  grace  of  God  is  sufficient  to  give  us  perfect  victory.  The 
power  of  the  Lord  our  God  helps  us,  and  the  Devil  and  his 
emissaries  help  us — the  one  on  the  one  hand,  the  other  on 


678  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  other  hand.  We  have  power  to  receive  the  truth  or  re- 
ject it,  and  we  have  power  to  reject  the  evil  or  receive  it 
8226. 

When  the  wicked  have  power  to  blow  out  the  sun,  that 
it  shines  no  more,  when  they  have  power  to  bring  to  a  con- 
clusion the  operations  of  the  elements,  suspend  the  whole 
system  of  nature,  and  make  a  footstool  of  the  throne  of  the 
Almighty,  they  may  then  think  to  check  "Mormomsm"  in 
its  course,  and  thwart  the  unalterable  purposes  of  heaven 
Men  may  persecute  the  people  who  believe  its  doctrines,  re- 
port and  publish  lies  to  bring  tribulation  upon  their  heads, 
earth  and  hell  may  unite  in  one  grand  league  against  it,  and 
exert  their  malicious  powers  to  the  utmost,  but  it  will  stand 
as  firm  and  immovable  in  the  midst  of  it  all  as  the  pillars 
of  eternity.  Men  may  persecute  the  Prophet,  and  those  who 
believe  and  uphold  him,  they  may  drive  the  Saints  and  kill 
them,  but  this  does  not  affect  the  truths  of  "Mormonism" 
one  iota,  for  they  will  stand  when  the  elements  melt  with 
fervent  heat,  the  heavens  are  wrapt  up  like  a  scioll,  and 
the  solid  earth  is  dissolved  "Mormonism"  stands  upon  the 
eternal  basis  of  omnipotence.  Jehovah  is  the  "Mormonism" 
of  this  people,  their  Priesthood  and  their  power ;  and  all  who 
adhere  to  it  will,  in  the  appointed  day,  come  up  into  the 
presence  of  the  King  Eternal,  and  receive  a  crown  of  life 
1:88 

The  Business  of  Latter-day  Saints— Our  work  is  to  bring 
forth  Zion,  and  produce  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  its  perfec- 
tion and  beauty  upon  the  earth  9  293 

We  have  no  business  here  other  than  to  build  up  and 
establish  the  Zion  of  God.  It  must  be  done  according  to  the 
will  and  law  of  God,  after  that  pattern  and  order  by  which 
Enoch  built  up  and  perfected  the  former-day  Zion,  which 


THE  CHURCH   AND   KINGDOM   OF   GOD  ON   EARTH        679 

was  taken  away  to  heaven,  hence  the  saying  went  abroad 
that  Zion  had  fled  By  and  by  it  will  come  back  again,  and 
as  Enoch  prepared  his  people  to  be  worthy  of  translation, 
so  we,  through  our  faithfulness,  must  prepare  ourselves  to 
meet  Zion  from  above  when  it  shall  return  to  earth,  and  to 
abide  tfce  brightness  and  glory  of  its  coming  18  356 

I  have  Zion  m  my  view  constantly.  We  are  not  going 
to  wait  for  angels,  or  for  Enoch  and  his  company  to  come 
and  build  up  Zion,  but  we  are  going  to  build  it  We  will 
raise  our  wheat,  build  our  houses,  fence  our  farms,  plant 
our  vineyards  and  orchards,  and  produce  everything  that 
will  make  our  bodies  comfortable  and  happy,  and  in  this 
manner  we  intend  to  build  up  Zion  on  the  earth  and  purify 
it  and  cleanse  it  from  all  pollutions  Let  there  be  an  hal- 
lowed influence  go 'from  us  over  all  things  over  which  we 
have  any  power ,  over  the  soil  we  cultivate,  over  the  houses 
we  build,  and  over  everything  we  possess ,  and  if  we  cease 
to  hold  fellowship  with  that  which  is  corrupt  and  estab- 
lish the  Zion  of  God  in  our  hearts,  in  our  own  houses,  in 
our  cities,  and  throughout  our  country,  we  shall  ultimately 
overcome  the  earth,  for  we  are  the  lords  of  the  earth ,  and, 
instead  of  thorns  and  thistles,  every  useful  plant  that  is  good 
for  the  food  of  man  and  to  beautify  and  adorn  will  spring 
from  its  bosom  9 ,284, 

Individual  Labor  Required  in  the  Kingdom  of  God — 
We  have  all  kinds  of  fish  in  the  Gospel  net.  3  120. 

The  Lord  will  have  a  tried  people,    16  ;28. 

To  be  a  Samt  in  the  full  sense  of  the  word,  is  to  be  some- 
thing very  nearly  perfect.  If,  however,  we  are  striving  to 
the  utmost  of  the  ability  God  has  given  us  to  prove  that 
we  are  willing  to  serve  him  and  perform  our  duties,  we  are 
justified.  We  have  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  build  up,  Zion 


680  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

to  redeem ;  we  have  to  sanctify  ourselves  so  that  we  may 
be  prepared  to  be  caught  up  with  the  Church  of  the  First- 
born, and  if  we  improve  every  day  and  hour,  then  if  we 
die  we  shall  be  found  justified  But  if  we  continue  to  live, 
we  must  become  Saints  in  very  deed,  or  come  short  of  the 
fulness  of  the  glory  of  God  that  is  to  be  revealed  46 ,41. 

Many  Latter-day  Saints  think  when  they  have  obeyed  the 
Gospel,  made  a  sacrifice  in  forsaking  their  homes,  perhaps 
their  parents,  husbands,  wives,  children,  farms,  native 
lands,  or  other  things  held  dear,  that  the  work  is  done,  but 
it  is  only  just  commenced.  The  work  of  purifying  our- 
selves and  preparing  to  build  up  the  Zion  of  God  on  this 
continent  has  only  just  begun  with  us  when  we  have  got 
as  far  as  that.  13.313 

A  great  many  think  that  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  going  to 
bless  them  and  exalt  them,  without  any  efforts  on  their  part. 
This  is  not  so  Every  man  and  woman  is  expected  to  aid 
the  work  with  all  the  ability  God  has  given  them.  Each 
person  belonging  to  the  human  family  has  a  portion  of  labor 
to  perform  in  removing  the  curse  from  the  earth  and  from 
every  living  thing  upon  it  When  this  work  is  performed, 
then  will  they  possess  all  things  10  301. 

We  have  no  correct  individual  interest  separate  from 
this  Kingdom;  if  we  have  true  interest  at  all,  it  is  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God  3  -154 

The  Kingdom  of  God  or  Nothing— When  the  Kingdom 
of  God  is  established,  if  each  member  of  that  Kingdom 
singly  and  individually  will  do  his  or  her  duty  it  will  take 
care  of  itself,  for  it  is  a  living,  self-moving,  self-sustaining, 
independent  and  heaven-ordained  establishment.  11 :249 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  all  that  is  real  worth  All  else 
is  not  worth  possessing,  either  here  or  hereafter.  Without 


THE   CHURCH  AND   KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON  EARTH        681 

it,  all  else  would  be  like  a  dry  tree  prepared  for  the  burn- 
ing—it is  all  consumed  and  the  ashes  are  driven  to  the  four 
winds  8 :18S. 

To  me  it  is  the  Kingdom  of  God  or  nothing  upon  the 
earth  Without  it  I  would  not  give  a  farthing  for  the 
wealth,  glory,  prestige  and  power  of  all  the  world  com- 
bined ,  for  like  the  dew  upon  the  grass,  it  passeth  away  and 
is  forgotten,  and  like  the  flower  of  the  grass  it  withereth, 
and  is  not.  Death  levels  the  most  powerful  monarch  with 
the  poorest  starving  mendicant,  and  both  must  stand  be- 
fore the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  to  answer  for  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body  11 ,126 

With  us,  it  is  the  Kingdom  of  God,  or  nothing ;  and  we 
will  maintain  it,  or  die  in  trying—though  we  shall  not  die 
in  trying.  It  is  comfoiting  to  many  to  be  assured  that  we 
shall  not  die  in  trying;  but  we  shall  live  in  trying.  We  will 
maintain  the  Kingdom  of  God,  living;  and  if  we  do  not 
maintain  it,  we  shall  be  found  dying  not  only  a  temporal, 
but  also  an  eternal  death  Then  take  a  course  to  live 
5-342. 

If  you  give  anything  for  the  building  up  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God,  give  the  best  you  have  What  is  the  best  thing  you 
have  to  devote  to  the  Kingdom  of  God?  It  is  the  talents 
God  has  given  you.  How  many  ?  Every  one  of  them.  What 
beautiful  talents !  What  a  beautiful  gift !  It  is  more  prec- 
ious than  fine  gold  that  I  can  stand  here  and  give  you  my 
ideas,  and  you  can  rise  up  and  tell  me  what  you  think  and 
feel,  and  thus  exchange  our  ideas  It  is  one  of  the  precious 
gifts  bestowed  upon  human  beings  Let  us  devote  every 
qualification  we  are  in  possession  of  to  the  building  up  of 
God's  Kingdom,  and  you  will  accomplish  the  whole  of  it 
8:346, 


CHAPTER  XL 
SOME  EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOSPEL 

The  Nature  of  the  Gospel— We  have  Zion  in  our  view 
in  her  perfection.  4 :270. 

^.11  knowledge  and  wisdom  and  every  good  that  the 
heart  of  man  can  desire  is  within  the  circuit  and  circle  of 
the  faith  we  have  embraced.  13:150. 

The  design  of  the  Gospel  is  to  reveal  the  secrets  of  the 
hearts  of  the  children  of  men.  3 .47-48. 

Is  there  war  in  our  religion  ?  No ;  neither  war  nor  blood- 
shed. Yet  our  enemies  cry  out  "bloodshed,"  and  "Oh,  what 
dreadful  men  these  Mormons  are,  and  those  Danites !  how 
they  slay  and  kill!"  Such  is  all  nonsense  and  folly  in  the 
extreme.  The  wicked  slay  the  wicked,  and  they  will  lay  it 
on  the  Saints.  12-30. 

We  offer  life  and  salvation  to  the  whole  human  family 
in  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  if  they  are  not  dis- 
posed to  receive  it  they  will  suffer  the  consequence  It  is 
for  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  live  their  religion.  12:315. 

Do  you  know  that  here  is  the  standard,  the  nucleus,  the 
fountain,  the  head  for  all  the  exercises  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth?  Now,  let  the  Saints 
in  this  congregation  droop  in  their  faith,  and  that  spirit  will 
spread  before  tomorrow  morning  throughout  the  vast  do- 
main of  this  creation.  Every  Elder  that  goes  abroad  is  a 
witness  of  this  fact.  This  spirit  spreads  through  a  tele- 
graphic influence  or  force  that  is  independent  of  wires 
Let  this  people  at  the  gathering-place  wake  out  of  their 
slumbers,  gird  on  their  armour,  and  go  forth  like  men  of 


SOME  EFFECTS   OF   THE  GOSPEL  683 

war  against  wickedness,  and  every  Branch  throughout  the 
Church  feels  the  influence  in  a  very  short  time — it  is  speed- 
ily imparted  to  all  creation  The  wires,  as  it  were,  are  set, 
the  lightnings  flash  over  them,  and  all  feel  the  influence, 
when  we  are  doing  our  duty  here  It  all  depends  upon  us 
here  8  184. 

The  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation  is  the  best  institution 
that  we,  as  mortal  beings,  can  invest  in  Go  into  the  finan- 
cial circles  of  the  world,  and  you  will  find  men  gather  and 
project  their  plans  for  business,  for  railroads,  for  ship  com- 
panies, for  merchandizing,  and  various  other  pursuits  You 
will  see  those  engaged  in  these  companies  associate  to- 
gether, confer  with  each  other,  lay  their  plans  before  each 
other,  investigate  them,  scan  every  branch,  and  every  part 
and  particle  of  their  business  We  are  engaged  in  a  higher- 
toned  branch  of  business  than  any  merchants  or  railroad 
men,  or  any  institution  of  an  earthly  nature,  and  it  is  pleas- 
ing to  see  the  Latter-day  Saints  meet  together  to  talk  over 
this  matter,  and  to  learn  the  course  they  should  pursue  to 
gain  the  object  of  their  pursuit  If  an  inquiry  arises  in  any 
of  your  minds  with  regard  to  this,  I  will  answer  it  by  say- 
ing that  we  are  in  pursuit  of  all  there  is  before  us — life, 
light,  wealth,  intelligence,  all  that  can  be  possessed  on  the 
earth  by  mortal  man,  and  then  in  a  higher  state,  where 
there  will  be  a  more  perfect  development  of  the  smattering 
knowledge  than  we  received  here,  and  all  that  can  be  en- 
joyed by  intelligent  beings  m  the  celestial  kingdoms  of  our 
God  15  34 

The  Latter-day  Saints  are  a  very  peculiar  people,  and 
they  are  led  in  a  peculiar  way  We  are  brought  into  cir- 
cumstances so  as  to  be  a  stumbling  block  to  the  nations, 
through  the  failings  and  weaknesses  of  the  Latter-day 


684  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Saints.  Jesus  was  a  stumbling  block  to  the  nation  of  the 
Jews,  and  to  the  generation  m  which  he  lived,  and  to  all  that 
knew  him,  and  how  singular  it  is  that  Jesus  Christ,  at  this 
late  day,  and  at  such  a  distance  from  the  theater  of  his  oper- 
tions,  should  have  attained  such  celebrity  and  fame,  even 
his  disciples  are  not  only  canonized,  but  almost  deified,  and 
looked  upon  as  though  they  were  Gods  come  down  to  dwell 
with  men  Every  circumstance  connected  with  the  Savior's 
life  is  looked  upon  as  being  divine.  Christendom  now 
acknowledge  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God ;  they  look  upon 
him  as  God  manifested  in  the  flesh  according  to  the  New 
Testament ;  yet  the  generation  in  which  he  lived  did  not  see 
these  tokens  of  divinity  which  this  generation  recognize. 
To  them  he  was  a  "root  out  of  dry  ground" — "a  stumbling 
block,"  "a  rock  of  offense  "  So  with  the  Latter-day  Saints 
They  are  a  stumbling  block  to  this  generation.  The  world 
see  all  their  weaknesses  and  faults,  and  see  no  divinity  in 
the  work  in  which  they  are  engaged.  Yet  this  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  inasmuch  as  the  world  could  not  see  it  in  Jesus 
when  he  dwelt  in  mortality  We  are  looked  upon  as  a  low, 
degraded,  ignorant  set  of  fanatics.  This  is  the  opinion  of 
the  great  majority  of  the  learned  and  refined  world  Others 
say  that  our  people  are  the  dupes  of  a  few  We  do  not 
claim  to  be  very  wise,  but  we  do  know  that  that  portion  of 
mankind  called  Christians  in  our  day,  who  profess  to  be 
followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus,  are  grossly  ignorant 
of  his  character,  and  of  the  means  and  way  of  salvation 
which  he  offers  to  the  world.  \The  Latter-day  Saints,  as  a 
people,  may  not  be  so  far  advanced  in  the  knowledge  of 
many  of  the  sciences,  as  their  neighbors,  but  they  are 
learning  how  to  take  care  of  themselves,  which  is  one  of 
the  greatest  arts  known  to  man.  When  the  most  learned 


SOME   EFFECTS   OF   THE   GOSPEL  685 

and  scientific  among  men  scrutinize  their  own  lives  and  ex- 
perience, they  are  under  the  necessity  of  acknowledging 
that  they  are  faulty,  weak,  ignorant,  they  are  "strangers 
from  the  covenants  of  promise,  having  no  hope,  and  with- 
out God  in  the  world."  12  206-207. 

There  are  professing  Christians  in  our  midst,  who  are 
so  strict  in  their  religious  notions^  that  they  would  rise  in 
the  morning  at  five  o'clock  and  walk  miles,  if  necessary, 
rather  than  miss  their  religious  services,  and  they  are  those 
who  are  so  zealous  that  they  would  measure  the  soil  from 
here  into  old  Jerusalem  with  their  bodies  if  they  could,  to 
pay  penance,  as  they  call  it.  God  does  not  require  any  such 
sacrifices  as  this ,  neither  does  he  require  any  of  these  sacri- 
fices which  involve  the  shedding  of  blood  01  the  loss  of  life 
Such  things  do  not  belong  to  God's  religion,  they  come 
through  sm  and  transgression,  Perhaps  they  who  show 
such  manifestations  of  their  faith  strengthen  it  and  do 
themselves  some  good.  All  that  is  required  of  us  is  to  sacri- 
fice our  feelings  and  to  overcome  the- adversary  by  sub- 
duing the  lust  within  us  for  anything  but  the  Kingdom  of 
God  on  the  earth,  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  our 
friends  and  families  and  of  the  human  family  from  first  to 
last;  that  our  whole  souls  may  be  devoted  to  the  building 
up  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  and  for  the  salva- 
tion of  those  who  sleep,  who  died  without  the  Gospel, 
18-238. 

Our  religion  is  called  "Mormonism"  because  the  ancient 
records  revealed  to  Joseph  Smith  were  entitled,  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  according  to  the  instructions  given  to  him  by  the 
Lord ;  but  I  will  call  it  the  Plan  of  Salvation  devised  in  the 
heavens  for  the  redemption  of  mankind  from  sin,  and  their 
restoration  to  the  presence  of  God. 


686  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

It  embraces  every  fact  there  is  in  the  heavens  and  in  the 
heaven  of  heavens—every  fact  there  is  upon  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  in  the  starry 
heavens;  in  fine,  it  embraces  all  truth  there  is  in  all  the 
eternities  of  the  Gods  9  149. 

Some  of  the  Effects  of  the  Gospel— The  religion  that  we 
have  embraced  teaches  us  to  prepare  to  live  5  257 

But  <lMormonism"  has  opened  up  light  Removing  the 
curtain  from  the  broad  sunshine,  it  has  lighted  up  the  souls 
of  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  they  have  been  made  to  re- 
joice in  the  light  of  truth  8  129 

With  all  the  rest  of  the  good  that  you  can  commit  to 
memory,  be  sure  to  recollect  that  the  Gospel  of  salvation  is 
expressly  designed  to  make  Saints  of  sinners,  to  overcome 
evil  with  good,  to  make  holy,  good  men  of  wicked,  bad  men, 
and  to  make  better  men  of  good  Wherein  we  are  wicked, 
wherein  we  have  evil  passions,  the  Gospel  will  aid  us  in 
overcoming  evil  It  gives  us  the  influence,  the  power,  the 
knowledge,  the  wisdom,  and  the  understanding  to  overcome 
our  weaknesses  and  to  purify  ourselves  before  the  Lord 
our  God.  8  160. 

When  people  receive  the  Gospel,  their  minds  are  opened , 
they  see  Zion  in  its  glory;  but  they  do  not  see  the  troubles 
on  the  plains,  or  the  troubles  with  false  brethren  8  71 

What  are  the  fruits  of  this  Gospel  when  it  is  received  into 
the  hearts  of  an  individual7  It  will  make  a  bad  man  good, 
and  a  good  man  better ,  it  increases  their  light,  knowledge, 
and  intelligence,  and  enables  them  to  grow  in  grace  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  as  the  Savior  did,  until  they 
understand  men  and  things,  the  world  and  its  doctrines, 
whether  Christian,  heathen  or  pagan,  and  will  ultimately 


SOME  EFFECTS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  687 

lead  them  to  knowledge  of  things  in  heaven,  on  the  earth 
or  under  the  earth  13  144. 

Our  religion  teaches  us  truth,  virtue,  holiness,  faith  in 
God  and  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  It  reveals  mysteries,  it 
brings  to  mind  things  past  and  present — unfolding  clearl) 
things  to  come  It  is  the  foundation  of  mechanism ;  it  is  the 
spirit  that  gives  intelligence  to  every  living  being  upon  the 
earth.  All  true  philosophy  originates  from  that  Fountain 
from  which  we  draw  wisdom,  knowledge,  truth,  and  power 
What  does  it  teach  us?  To  love  God  and  our  fellow  crea- 
tures— to  be  compassionate,  full  of  mercy,  long-suffering, 
and  patient  to  the  froward  and  to  those  who  are  ignorant 
There  is  a  glory  in  our  religion  that  no  other  religion  that 
has  evei  been  established  upon  the  earth,  in  the  absence  of 
the  true  Priesthood,  ever  possessed.  It  is  the  fountain  of 
all  intelligence;  it  is  to  bring  heaven  to  earth  and  exalt 
earth  to  heaven,  to  prepare  all  intelligence  that  God  has 
placed  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men— to  mingle  with 
the  intelligence  which  dwells  in  eternity,  and  to  elevate  the 
mind  above  the  trifling  and  frivolous  objects  of  time,  which 
tend  downward  to  destruction.  It  frees  the  mind  of  man 
from  darkness  and  ignorance,  gives  him  that  intelligence 
that  flows  from  heaven,  and  qualifies  him  to  comprehend 
all  things.  This  is  the  character  of  the  religion  we  believe 
in.  7  140-141 

Our  belief  will  bring  peace  to  all  men  and  good  will  to 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  It  will  induce  all  who  sin- 
cerely follow  its  dictates  to  cultivate  righteousness  and 
peace ;  to  live  peaceably  in  their  families ;  to  praise  the  Lord 
morning  and  evening ;  to  pray  with  their  families,  and  will 
so  fill  them  with  the  spirit  of  peace  that  they  will  never 
condemn  or  chasten  any  one  unless  it  is  well  deserved. 


688  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

They  will  rise  in  the  morning  with  their  spirits  as  smooth 
and  serene  as  the  sun  that  is  rising  and  giving  life  and  heat 
to  the  world,  just  as  calm  and  as  smooth  as  the  breezes  on 
a  summer  evening.  No  anger,  no  wrath,  no  malice,  conten- 
tion or  strife.  If  a  wrong  arises,  the  party  wronged  will  go 
to  his  neighbor  and  quietly  investigate  whether  wrong  was 
designed ,  and  i£  the  seeming  transgressor  is  living  accord- 
ing to  the  spirit  of  his  religion,  it  will  be  found  that  he  had 
designed  no  wrong,  and  that  he  will  make  ample  amends, 
forgiveness  will  be  accorded,  and  the  trouble  will  end  This 
is  the  spirit  and  teaching  of  the  Gospel. 

How  will  perfection  be  obtained ?  By  all  persons  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God  living  so  as  to  be  revelators  from  the 
heavens  for  themselves  and  for  all  they  pieside  over,  that 
everything  they  have  to  perform  in  this  life — every  worldly 
care  and  duty,  and  all  their  walk  and  conversation  before 
each  other  and  before  the  Lord,  may  be  marked  out  by  the 
spirit  of  revelation.  Is  this  the  way  to  perfection?  It  is. 
This  is  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  this  is  the 
Gospel  of  life  and  salvation.  13  215. 

We  ought  to  understand  that  when  our  lives  have  been 
filled  with  all  manner  of  wickedness,  to  turn  and  repent  of 
our  sms,  to  be  baptized  for  the  remission  of  them,  and  have 
our  names  written  upon  the  Church  records,  does  not  pre- 
pare us  for  the  presence  of  dur  Father  and  Elder  Brother. 
What  will?  A  continuation  of  faithfulness  to  the  doctrines 
of  Christ,  nothing  short  of  this  will  do  it  3 :193-194 

It  is  very  fortunate  for  those  who  receive  this  Gospel 
and  the  spirit  of  it  in  their  hearts,  for  it  awakes  within 
them  a  desire  to  know  and  understand  the  things  of  God 
more  than  they  ever  did  before  in  their  lives,  and  they  begin 
to  inquire,  read  and  search,  and  when  they  go-  to  the 


SOME  EFFECTS   OF   THE   GOSPEL  689 

Father  in  the  name  of  Jesus  he  will  not  leave  them  with- 
out a  witness.  14.135. 

When  people  receive  this  Gospel,  what  do  they  sacrifice  ? 
Why,  death  for  life.  This  is  what  they  give  •  darkness  for 
light,  error  for  truth,  doubt  and  unbelief  for  knowledge  and 
the  certainty  of  the  things  of  God.  16:161. 

The  Saints  in  all  ages  have  been  protected,  sustained 
and  upheld  by  an  Almighty  Power  in  their  sufferings,  and 
the  power  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  has  ever  sustained 
them.  The  Jews  anciently  said,  Let  his  blood  be  upon  us 
and  upon  our  children,- and  God  took  them  at  their  word. 
10:287. 

You  may  as  well  undertake  to  terrify  the  Almighty  on 
his  throne,  as  to  terrify  a  Latter-day  Saint  of  the  true 
stripe — one  who  has  the  true  blood  in  him.  2:313. 

The  sound  of  the  Gospel  of  life  and  salvation,  to  gather 
the  House  of  Israel  and  redeem  the  children  of  men,  is  a 
terror  to  all  nations.  8:13. 

No  blessing  that  is  sealed  upon  us  will  do  us  any  good, 
unless  we  live  for  it.  11 :117. 

Personal  Joy  in  the  Gospel—With  me  "Mormonism" 
is,  "Out  with  the  truth,"  3 :255. 

The  great  object  of  my  life  is  to  establish  the  Kingdom 
of  God  upon  the  earth.  11 :275. 

It  may  be  asked  whether  I  have  any  idols?  Yes,  I  have 
most  darling  idols — my  God  and  my  religion,  and  they  are 
all  the  idols  I  wish  to  have.  9 :106. 

I  feel  happy.  "Mormonism"  has  made  me  all  I  am,  and 
the  grace,  the  power,  and  the  wisdom  of  God  will  make  me 
all  that  I  ever  will  be,  either  in  time  or  eternity,  8 :162. 

You  hear  many  talk  about  having  made  sacrifices;  if  I 
had  that  word  in  my  vocabulary  I  would  blot  it  out.  I  have 


690  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

never  yet  made  what  I  call  sacrifices ;  m  my  experience  I 
know  nothing  about  making  them.  3  -223. 

Again,  I  say,  if  "Mormomsm''  is  not  all  I  anticipated  it 
to  be,  it  is  nothing  If  it  is  not  m  me,  and  I  in  it,  if  it  is 
not  all  and  in  all  to  me,  I  am  deceived  in  myself.  It  is 
everything  in  heaven  and  on  earth  to  those  who  possess  it 
truly.  2.128. 

Our  religion  has  been  a  continual  feast  to  me.  With  me  it 
is  Glory!  Hallelujah!  Praise  God!  instead  of  sorrow  and 
grief  Give  me  the  knowledge,  power,  and  blessings  that  I 
have  the  capacity  of  receiving,  and  I  do  not  care  how  the 
Devil  originated,  nor  anything  about  him;  I  want  the  wis- 
dom, knowledge,  and  power  of  God.  Give  me  the  religion 
that  lifts  me  higher  in  the  scale  of  intelligence — that  gives 
me  the  power  to  endure — that  when  I  attain  the  state  of 
peace  and  rest  prepared  for  the  righteous,  I  may  enjoy  to 
all  eternity  the  society  of  the  sanctified  8.119. 

The  last  time  I  spoke  to  you  here  I  told  you  that  I  found 
my  religion  just  as  sweet  to  me  in  my  private  capacity,  in 
my  secret  meditations  upon  my  bed,  and  in  my  closet,  in 
my  office,  or  with  my  family,  as  it  is  when  I  am  in  this 
stand  I  love  it  as  well-— esteem  it  as  highly,  it  is  as  prec- 
ious to  my  understanding,  and  it  invigorates,  buoys  up, 
strengthens,  and  fills  every  power  of  my  capacity  with  un- 
speakable joy,  just  as  much  at  home  as  it  does  here.  I  hope 
this  is  the  case  with  you  all  If  you  live  your  religion,  it 
is  as  dear  to  you  when  you  are  out  of  this  Tabernacle  as 
when  you  are  here.  8  8. 

I  am  happy;  I  am  full  of  joy,  comfort,  and  peace;  all 
within  me  is  light,  for  I  desire  nothing  but  to  do  the  will  of 
my  Father  in  heaven.  I  delight  not  in  unrighteousness,  but 
in  righteousness  and  truth  I  seek  to  promote  the  good  and 


SOME   EFFECTS    OF    THE   ,GOSPEL  691 

happiness  of  myself  and  those  with  whom  I  am  associated. 
640 

My  business  is  to  save  the  people,  not  to  oppress, 
plunder,  and  destioy  them.  It  is  also  the  duty  of  all  1he 
Elders  to  labor  to  save  the  people  7-229. 

I  am  so  thankful  that  tongue  cannot  express  what  I  feel, 
that  I  have  the  privilege  of  associating  with  the  Saints,  and 
of  being  a  member  in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  that  I  have 
friends  in  the  Church  of  the  Living  God.  10  314. 

I  can  say  that  I  do  not  consider  that  I  have  ever  suffered 
anything  for  this  Kingdom—nothing  in  the  least.  I  have 
never  sacnficcd  anything,  without  it  be  the  evil  propensities 
that  are  sown  in  our  nature,  springing  from  the  seed  that 
was  sown  at  the  fall  8  67. 

The  Lord  has  blessed  me;  he  has  always  blessed  me; 
from  the  time  I  commenced  to  build  up  Zion,  I  have  been 
extremely  blessed.  I  could  relate  circumstances  of  so  ex- 
traordinary a  character  in  regard  to  the  providences  of  God 
to  me,  that  my  brethren  and  sisters  would  say  in  their 
hearts,  "I  can  hardly  give  credence  to  this  "  But  my  heart 
has  been  set  in  me  to  do  the  will  of  God,  to  build  up  his 
Kingdom  on  the  earth,  to  establish  Zion  and  its  laws,  and  to 
save  the  people ,  and  I  can  say,  truly  and  honestly,  that  the 
thought  never  came  into  my  mind,  in  all  my  labors,  what 
my  reward  will  be,  or  whether  my  crown  would  be  large  or 
small,  or  any  crown  at  all,  a  small  possession,  a  large  pos- 
session, or  no  possession  I  have  never  had  any  thoughts  or 
reflections  upon  this,  or  cared  the  first  thing  about  it  All 
that  I  have  had  in  my  mind  has  been  that  it  was  my  duty  to 
do  the  will  of  God,  and  to  labor  to  establish  his  Kingdom  on 
the  earth  I  do-  not  love,  serve  or  fear  the  Lord  for  the 
sake  of  getting  rid  of  being  damned,  nor  for  the  sake  of 


692  DISCOURSES  OF  BEIGHAM  YOUNG 

getting  some  great  gift  or  blessing  in  eternity,  but  purely 
because  the  principles  which  God  has  revealed  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  pure,  holy  and  exalt- 
ing in  their  nature  In  them  there  is  honor  and  eternal 
increase,  they  lead  on  from  light  to  light,  strength  to 
strength,  glory  to  glory,  knowledge  to  knowledge,  and 
power  to  power.  16  70 

"Mormomsm"  has  done  everything  for  me  that  ever  has 
been  done  for  me  on  the  earth;  it  has  made  me  happy;  it 
has  made  me  wealthy  and  comfortable ,  it  has  filled  me  with 
good  feelings,  with  joy  and  rejoicing.  Whereas,  before  I 
possessed  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  I  was  troubled  with  that 
which  I  hear  others  complain  of,  that  is,  with,  at  times, 
feeling  cast  down,  gloomy,  and  despondent ,  with  everything 
wearing  to  me,  at  times,  a  dreary  aspect 

But  have  the  trees,  the  streams,  the  rocks,  or  any  part 
of  creation  worn  a  gloomy  aspect  to  me  for  one  half  minute 
since  I  came  in  possession  of  the  spirit  of  this  Gospel?  No, 
though  before  that  time  I  might  view  the  most  beautiful 
gardens,  buildings,  cities,  plantations,  or  anything  else  in 
nature,  yet  to  me  they  all  wore  at  times  a  shade  of  death. 

They  appeared  at  times  as  though  a  vail  was  brooding 
over  them,  which  cast  a  dark  shade  upon  all  things,  like  the 
shade  of  the  valley  of  death,  and  I  felt  lonesome  and  bad 
But  since  I  have  embraced  the  Gospel  not  for  one  half  min- 
nte,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection,  has  anything:  worn  to 
me  a  gloomy  aspect;  under  all  circumstances  I  have  felt 
pleasant  and  cheerful 

When  surrounded  by  mobs,  with  death  and  destruction 
threatening  on  every  hand,  I  am  not  aware  but  that  I -felt 
just  as  joyful,  just  as  well  in  my  spirit,  as  I  do  now.  Pros- 
pects might  appear  dull  and  very  dark,  but  I  have  never 


SOME  EFFECTS   OF  THE   GOSPEL  693 

seen  a  time  in  this  Gospel  but  what  I  knew  that  the  result 
would  be  beneficial  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  the  lovers  of 
righteousness,  and  I  have  always  felt  to  joyfully  acknowl- 
edge the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  all  things  3  -320 

I  present  myself  before  this  congregation  as  a  teacher 
of  the  way  of  life  and  salvation.  10  318 

Permit  me  to  say,  that  I  am  proud  of  my  religion.  It  is 
the  only  thing  I  pride  myself  in,  on  the  earth  I  may  heap 
up  gold  and  silver  like  the  mountains ,  I  may  gather  around 
me  property,  goods  and  chattels,  but  I  could  have  no  glory 
in  that,  compared  with  my  religion;  it  is  the  fountain  of 
light  and  intelligence;  It  swallows  up  the  truth  contained 
m  all  the  philosophy  of  the  world,  both  heathen  and  Chris- 
tian; it  circumscribes  the  wisdom  of  man;  all  the  wisdom 
and  power  of  the  world ;  it  reaches  to  that  within  the  veil 
Its  bounds,  its  circumference,  its  end,  its  height,  and  depth, 
are  beyond  the  comprehension  of  mortals,  for  it  has  none 
1 :39. 

I  have  an  impulse  within  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
salvation.  4  43. 

God,  angels,  and  good  men  being  my  helpers,  I  will 
never  cease  to  contend,  inch  by  inch,  until  we  gain  the 
ground  and  possess  the  Kingdom,  That  is  my  feeling  and 
faith,  and  we  will  accomplish  it.  I  will  prophesy,  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  will  possess  the 
Kingdom  of  God  upon  the  whole  earth,  and  possess  the 
earth.  8:166. 

I  know  enough  to  let  the  Kingdom  alone,  and  do  my 
duty.  It  carries  me,  I  do  not  carry  the  Kingdom.  I  sail  in 
the  old  ship  Zion,  and  it  bears  me  safely  above  the  raging 
elements ;  I  have  my  sphere  of  action  and  duties  to  perform 


694  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

on  board  of  that  ship ;  to  faithfully  perform  them  should  be 
my  constant  and  unceasing  endeavor.  11 ,252. 

For  nearly  thirty  years  I  have  sought  to  know  the  truth, 
and  to  properly  understand  the  principles  of  the  holy  Priest- 
hood revealed  from  heaven  through  the  Prophet  Joseph , 
and  I  have  ceased  not,  when  I  have  had  an  opportunity,  at 
the  proper  time  and  in  the  proper  place,  to  present  those 
principles  to  my  fellow-men.  7,131. 

I  love  to  fight  the  devils,  but  I  love  to  overcome  them 
3-224, 

We  have  forsaken  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  have  come 
out  in  open  rebellion  to  the  power  of  the  Devil  on  this  earth, 
and  I  for  one  will  fight  him,  so  help  me  God,  as  long  as 
there  is  breath  in  my  body,  ami  do  all  in  my  power  to 
overthrow  his  government  and  rule  And  if  he  complains 
that  I  am  infringing  upon  his  ground,  I  shall  very  politely 
ask  him  to  go  to  his  own  place,  where  he  belongs  If  any 
among  this  community  want  to  sustain  the  government  of 
the  Devil,  in  preference  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  I  wish  them 
to  go  where  they  belong.  I  want  to  sustain  the  govern- 
ment of  heaven,  and  shall  stick  fast  to  it,  by  the  help  of 
God  If  we  sustain  it,  it  will  build  us  up  and  crown  us  with 
victory  and  eternal  life.  10  41. 

But  I  am  proud  to  say  of  my  religion,  I  have  studied  it 
faithfully  for  twenty- two  years,  day  and  night,  at  home  and 
abroad,  upon  the  rivers,  and  upon  the  lakes,  when  travelling 
by  sea  and  by  land;  have  studied  it  in  the  pulpit;  from 
morning  till  night ;  whatsoever  might  be  my  pursuit,  I  have 
studied  it  with  as  close  an  application  as  any  college  student 
ever  did  any  subject  he  wished  to  commit  to  memory ;  and 
I  can  say  I  have  only  just  got  into  the  A  B  C  of  it;  it  leads 
the  vision  of  my  mind  into  eternity  1 :39 


SOME   EFFECTS   OF   THE   GOSPEL  695 

Blessings  Conditioned  Upon  Good  Works— Every  bless- 
ing the  Lord  proffers  to  his  people  is  on  conditions,  These 
conditions  are.  "Obey  my  law,  keep  my  commandments, 
walk  in  my  ordinances,  observe  my  statutes,  love  mercy, 
preserve  the  law  that  I  have  given  to  you  inviolate,  keep 
yourselves  pure  in  the  law,  and  then  you  are  entitled  to 
these  blessings,  and  not  until  then."  16  162. 

Good  actions  always  result  in  blessings.  The  history 
of  the  people  of  God  in  all  ages  testifies  that  whenever  they 
have  listened  to  the  counsel  of  heaven  they  have  always 
been  blessed.  All  this  people  are  satisfied  that  they  will  be 
more  blessed  to  hearken  to  good  counsel  than  not  to  do  so 
12-122. 

Brethren  and  sisters,  if  we  wish  the  blessings  of  heaven 
upon  us,  let  us  be  faithful  to  our  covenants  and  callings, 
faithful  in  paying  tithing,  in  keeping  the  Word  of  Wisdom 
and  in  building  temples  16  69 

If  the  brethren  will  take  hold  and  perform  the  labors 
devolving  upon  them,  they  shall  be  blessed  in  them.  They 
will  increase  in  health  and  in  wealth.  The  Lord  will  bless 
the  people  in  proportion  as  they  bless  themselves.  16  68. 

I  wish  the  people  could  realize  that  they  walk,  live,  and 
abide  in  the  presence  of  the  Almighty.  The  faithful  shall 
have  eyes  to  see  as  they  are  seen,  and  you  shall  behold 
that  you  are  in  the  midst  of  eternity  and  in  the  presence  of 
holy  beings,  and  be  enabled  ere  long  to  enjoy  their  society 
and  presence.  You  are  greatly  blessed.  8  200 

Do  just  as  well  as  you  know  how  in  all  things,  never 
permitting  yourself  to  commit  an  act  unless  the  Spirit  of 
God  within  you  justifies  you  in  doing  it.  And  if  you  live 
every  day  of  your  lives  according  to  the  best  light  and  un- 
derstanding you  possess,  glorifying  God,  our  Heavenly 


Oyo  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Father,  just  as  far  as  your  knowlege  extends,  I  will  promise 
you  eternal  life  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  19*220. 

The  man,  or  the  woman,  that  mainly  looks  after  the 
fruit,  after  the  luxuries  of  life,  good  food,  fine  apparel  and 
at  the  same  time  professes  to  be  a  Latter-day  Saint,  if  he 
does  not  get  that  spirit  out  of  his  heart,  it  will  obtain  a  per- 
fect victory  over  him ;  whereas  he  is  required  to  obtain  a  vic- 
tory over  his  lusts  and  over  his  unwise  feeling's  4  52 

Increasing  Blessings — Instead  of  the  righteous  being 
bound  tighter  and  tighter,  they  will  continue  to  have  more 
and  more  liberty,  as  we  are  more  and  more  faithful,  and  ob- 
tain more  power  with  the  heavens  and  more  of  the  power 
of  God  upon  us  Let  us  seek  diligently  unto  the  Lord,  until 
we  obtain  the  faith  of  Jesus  in  its  fulness,  for  those  who 
possess  this  are  free  indeed.  10  288. 

If  the  Lord  had  a  people  on  the  earth  that  he  had  per- 
fect confidence  in,  there  is  not  a  blessing  in  the  eternities 
of  our  God,  that  they  could  bear  in  the  flesh,  that  he  would 
not  pour  out  upon  them.  Tongue  cannot  tell  the  blessings 
the  Lord  has  for  a  people  who  have  proved  themselves  be- 
fore him  4:79. 

The  greatest  blessing  that  can  be  bestowed  on  the  chil- 
dren of  men  is  power  to  civilize  themselves  after  the  order 
of  the  civilization  of  the  heavens— to  prepare  themselves  to 
dwell  with  heavenly  beings  who  are  capable  of  enduring 
the  presence  of  the  Gods.  8 :7. 

"Mormonism"  keeps  men  and  women  young  and  hand- 
some; and  when  they  are  full  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  there 
are  none  of  them  but  what  will  have  a  glow  upon  their 
countenances;  and  that  is  what  makes  you  and  me  young, 
for  the  Spirit  of  God  is  with  us  and  within  us.  5 :210 

Personal  Blessings   Upon   the  People — Brethren   and 


SOME  EFFECTS  OF   THE  GOSPEL  697 

sisters,  may  God  bless  you  1  I  bless  you  all  the  time,  Halle- 
lujah! Praise  the  name  of  Israel's  God;  for  my  soul  exults 
in  his  name.  6.100 

I  will  say  to  you,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  I  bless  you. 
I  bless  you  according  to  the  Priesthood  that  I  hold  and  the 
keys  thereof.  I  bless  you  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
16-170, 

God  bless  you !  Peace  be  with  you,  and  love  be  multi- 
plied upon  the  people.  I  pray  for  the  good  all  over  the  earth 
My  desire  is  to  see  the  Kingdom  of  God  prosper  15  134, 

May  God  bless  you !  Peace  be  upon  you !  Be  fervent  in 
spirit,  humble,  teachable,  and  prayerful,  taking  care  of  your- 
selves, endeavoring  to  save  yourselves,  and  all  you  have 
any  influence  over,  which  is  my  continual  prayer  for  you, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Amen.  1:111. 

Brethren  and  sisters,  inasmuch  as  I  have  the  right  and 
privilege,  through  the  Priesthood,  I  bless  you  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  and  say,  be  you  blessed.  These  are  my  feel- 
ings to  the  Lattei-day  Saints,  and  would  be  to  all  the  human 
family,  if  they  would  receive  my  blessings,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Amen.  2-10. 

May  the  Lord  God  Almighty  bless  the  Saints,  and  every- 
one who  will  permit  his  blessings  to  come  upon  them.  I  am 
under  the  same  obligations  to  bless  sinners  as  I  am  to  bless 
Saints,  if  they  will  receive  my  blessings.  I  pray  for  the 
blessings  of  heaven  upon  the  work  of  his  hands,  for  we 
are  all  his  children— the  sons  and  daughters  of  our  Parent 
who  dwells  in  the  heavens.  8:261, 

God  bless  every  good  man.  God  bless  the  works  of 
nature,  God  bless  his  own  work,  overthrow  the  wicked  and 
ungodly  and  them  that  would  destroy  their  fellow  beings, 
that  war  and  contentions  may  cease  on  the  earth.  0  Lord, 


698  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

remove  these  from  office  and  place  good  men  at  the  head 
of  the  nationSj  that  they  may  learn  war  no  more,  but  go 
to,  like  rational  and  civilized  beings,  sustain  peace  on  the 
earth  and  do  good  to  each  other  12  289 

God  bless  you,  and  I  pray  that  you  may  be  blessed ,  but 
I  pray  you  to  bless  yourselves  Brethren  and  sisters,  let 
us  bless  ourselves,  by  doing  the  will  of  God,  then  we  are 
right  16:71. 

I  have  experienced  much  in  my  life,  and  I  will  not  ask 
you  to  do  any  better  by  one  another,  nor  by  me,  than  I  do 
by  you,  and  I  will  bless  you  all  the  time  I  feel  to  bless  you 
continually ,  my  life  is  here,  my  mteiest,  my  glory,  my  pride, 
my  comfort,  my  all  ai  e  here,  and  all  I  expect  to  have,  to  all 
eternity  is  wrapped  up  in  the  midst  of  this  Church. 

If  I  do  not  get  it  in  this  channel,  I  shall  not  have  it  at 
all  How  do  you  suppose  I  feel?  I  feel  as  a  father  should 
feel  towards  his  children  I  have  felt  so  for  many  years, 
even  when  I  durst  not  say  so;  I  have  felt  as  a  mother  feels 
towards  her  tender  offspring,  and  durst  not  expiess  my 
feelings,  but  I  have  tried  to  carry  out  their  expression  in 
my  life.  May  God  bless  you.  Amen  3  333. 

I  do  not  hate  any  man  on  earth  or  in  hell.  The  worst 
wish  I  have  for  the  wicked  is  that  they  may  be  obliged  to 
live  according  to  good  and  wholesome  laws.  8  43. 

There  is  not  a  man  or  woman  on  this  eaith  that  I  hate , 
but  I  do  most  cordially  hate  their  wicked  acts.  I  am  at  war 
with  false  principles— with  wickedness,  sm,  and  abomina- 
tion, and  I  expect  to  continue  my  warfare  until  I  over- 
come. 7  '6. 

I  feel  happy ;  I  feel  at  peace  with  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth;  I  love  my  friends,  and  as  for  my  enemies,  I  pray 
for  them  daily ;  and.  if  they  do  not  believe  I  would  do  them 


SOME   EFFECTS    OF    THE    GOSPEL  ,  699 

good,  let  them  call  at  my  house,  when  they  are  hungry,  and 
I  will  feed  them ;  yea,  I  will  do  good  to  those  who  despite- 
fully  use  and  persecute  me  I  pray  for  them,  and  bless  my 
friends  all  the  time.  11.111. 

If  I  had  power,  I  certainly  would  bless  the  people  with 
everything  their  hearts  could  wish  if  they  would  not  sin.  I 
would  do,  as  I  heard  the  mothers  of  some  of  my  children 
say  that  went  with  me  to  St  George  this  winter,  that  I 
indulged  them  in  every  thing  they  wanted.  Why?  Because 
they  never  manifested  a  desire  for  anything  wrong.  And 
if  it  were  in  my  power  I  would  bless  all  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth,  with  everything  in  which  they  could  glorify  God, 
and  purify  their  own  hearts.  18 .362. 

God  bless  you,  my  children,  my  little  ones.  I  love  you, 
I  am  a  great  lover  of  children  and  innocence  and  purity,  and 
I  am  a  hater  of  iniquity.  I  think  very  frequently,  in  look- 
ing upon  the  actions  of  men  that  I  do  not  have  compas- 
sion enough ,  but  when  I  see  the  wolf  among  the  lambs  I 
am  after  them,  to  see  that  they  do  not  destroy  the  lambs 
I  would  have  given  worlds  if  I  could  have  known  the  truth 
in  my  childhood,  as  I  now  hear  it  I  had  a  great  desire  to 
know  it,  and  the  priests  were  after  me  from  the  time  I  was 
eight  years  of  age.  I  was  infidel  to  their  creeds,  but  not  to 
the  Bible,  not  to  God,  not  to  holiness,  but  to  the  creeds  of 
the  children  of  men  I  was  infidel,  and  am  to  this  day.  I  say, 
God  blebs  you,  my  children  19 :65. 


CHAPTER  XLI 
JOSEPH  SMITH 

A  Prophet  of  God — I  honor  and  revere  the  name  of 
Joseph  Smith.  I  delight  to  hear  it;  I  love  it.  I  love  his 
doctrine.  13:216. 

What  I  have  received  from  the  Lord,  I  have  received  by 
Joseph  Smith;  he  was  the  instrument  made  use  of.  If  I 
drop  him,  I  must  drop  these  principles ;  they  have  not  been 
revealed,  declared,  or  explained  by  any  other  man  since  the 
days  of  the  Apostles.  If  I  lay  down  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
I  shall  have  to  deny  that  Joseph  is  a  Prophet;  and  if  I  lay 
down  the  doctrine  and  cease  to  preach  the  gathering  of 
Israel  and  the  building-  up  of  Zion,  I  must  lay  down  the 
Bible;  and,  consequently,  I  might  as  well  go  home  as  under- 
take to  preach  without  these  three  items.  6.279-280. 

I  feel  like  shouting  Hallelujah,  all  the  time,  when  I  think 
that  I  ever  knew  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet  whom  the 
Lord  raised  up  and  ordained,  and  to  whom  he  gave  keys 
and  power  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth  and 
sustain  it.  These  keys  are  committed  to  this  people,  and 
we  have  power  to  continue  the  work  that  Joseph  com- 
menced, until  everything  is  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  This  is  the  business  of  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
and  it  is  all  the  business  we  have  on  hand.  3  :S1. 

Not  that  Joseph  was  the  Savior,  but  he  was  a  Prophet. 
As  he  said  once,  when  some  one  asked  him,  "Are  you  the 
Savior?"  "No,  but  I  can  tell  you  what  I  am — I  am  hi^ 
brother."  So  we  can  say.  14:202. 

Joseph  Smith  has  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Kingdom  ot 


JOSEPH  SMJTH  701 

God  in  the  last  days;  others  will  rear  tlie  superstructure 
9364. 

I  never  saw  any  one,  until  I  met  Joseph  Smith,  who 
could  tell  me  anything  about  the  character,  personality 
and  dwelling-place  of  God,  or  anything  satisfactory  about 
angels,  or  the  relationship  of  man  to  his  Maker.  Yet  I  was 
as  diligent  as  any  man  need  to  be  to  try  and  find  out  these 
things.  16.46. 

What  is  the  nature  and  beauty  of  Joseph's  mission?  You 
know  that  I  am  one  of  his  Apostles,  When  I  first  heard  him 
preach,  he  brought  heaven  and  earth  together ;  and  all  the 
priests  of  the  day  could  not  tell  me  anything  correct  about 
heaven,  hell,  God,  angels,  or  devils;  they  were  as  blind  as 
Egyptian  darkness.  When  I  saw  Joseph  Smith,  he  took 
heaven,  figuratively  speaking,  and  brought  it  down  to  earth ; 
and  he  took  the  earth,  brought  it  up,  and  opened  up,  in 
plainness  and  simplicity,  the  things  of  God ;  and  that  is  the 
beauty  of  his  mission  I  had  a  testimony,  long  before  that, 
that  he  was  a  Prophet  of  the  Lord,  and  that  was  consoling. 
Did  not  Joseph  do  the  same  to  your  understandings?  Would 
he  not  take  the  Scriptures  and  make  them  so  plain  and  sim- 
ple that  everybody  could  understand?  Every  person  says, 
"Yes,  it  is  admirable;  it  unites  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
together,"  and  as  for  time,  it  is  nothing,  only  to  teach  us 
how  to  live  in  eternity.  5  :332. 

When  you  hear  a  man  pour  out  eternal  things,  how  well 
you  feel,  to  what  a  nearness  you  seem  to  be  brought  with 
God.  What  a  delight  it  was  to  hear  Brother  Joseph  talk 
upon  the  great  principles  of  eternity ;  he  would  bring  them 
down  to  the  capacity  of  a  child,  and  he  would  unite  heaven 
with  earth,  this  is  the  beauty  of  our  religion.  4-54. 

There  is  not  that  being  that  ever  had  the  privilege  of 


702  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

hearing  the  way  of  life  and  salvation  set  before  him  as  it  is 
written  in  the  New  Testament,  and  in  the  Book  of  Mormon, 
and  in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  by  a  Latter- 
day  Saint,  that  can  say  that  Je^us  lives,  that  his  Gospel  is 
true,  and  at  the  same  time  say  that  Joseph  Smith  was  not 
a  Prophet  of  God  That  is  strong  testimony,  but  it  is  true. 
No  man  can  say  that  this  book  (laying-  his  hand  on  the 
Bible)  is  true,  is  the  word  of  the  Lord,  is  the  way,  is  the 
guide-board  in  the  path,  and  a  charter  by  which  we  may 
learn  the  will  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  say,  that  the 
Book  of  Mormon  is  untrue ,  if  he  has  had  the  privilege  of 
reading  it,  or  of  hearing  it  read,  and  learning  its  doctrines 
There  is  not  that  person  on  the  face  of  the  earth 
who  has  had  the  privilege  of  learning  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  these  two  books,  that  can  say  that  one  is  true, 
and  the  other  is  false.  No  Latter-day  Saint,  no  man  or 
woman,  can  say  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  true,  and  at  the 
same  time  say  that  the  Bible  is  untrue,  If  one  be  true,  both 
are;  and  if  one  be  false,  both  are  false  If  Jesus  lives,  and 
is  the  Savior  of  the  world,  Joseph  Smith  is  a  Prophet  of  God, 
and  lives  in  the  bosom  of  his  father  Abiaham  Though 
they  have  killed  his  body,  yet  he  lives  and  beholds  the  face 
of  his  Father  in  Heaven,  and  his  gaiments  are  pure  as  the 
angels  that  surround  the  throne  of  God;  and  no  man  on 
the  earth  can  say  that  Jesus  lives,  and  deny,  at  the  same 
time,  my  assertion  about  the  Prophet  Joseph  This  is  my 
testimony,  and  it  is  strong.  1 .38. 

Who  can  justly  say  aught  against  Joseph  Smith?  I  was 
as  well  acquainted  with  him,  as  any  man  I  do  not  believe 
that  his  father  and  mother  knew  him  any  better  than  I  did 
I  do  not  think  that  a  man  lives  on  the  earth  that  knew  him 
any  better  than  I  did;  and  I  am  bold  to  say  that,  Jesus 


JOSEPH  SMITH  703 

Christ  excepted,  no  better  man  ever  lived  or  does  live  upon 
this  earth.  I  am  his  witness  He  was  persecuted  for  the 
same  reason  that  any  other  righteous  person  has  been  or  is 
persecuted  at  the  present  day  9-332. 

I  never  have  professed  to  be  Brother  Joseph,  but 
Brother  Brigham,  trying  to  do  good  to  this  people  I  am  no 
better,  nor  any  more  important  than  another  man  who  is 
trying  to  do  good.  If  I  am,  I  don't  know  it.  If  I  improve 
upon  what  the  Lord  has  given  me,  and  continue  to  improve, 
I  shall  become  like  those  who  have  gone  before  me ;  I  shall 
be  exalted  in  the  celestial  kingdom,  and  be  filled  to  over- 
flowing with  all  the  power  I  can  wield ,  and  all  the  keys  of 
knowledge  I  can  manage  will  be  committed  unto  me  What 
do  we  want  more?  I  shall  be  just  like  every  other  man — 
have  all  that  I  can,  in  my  capacity,  comprehend  and  man- 
age. 6-275-276 

Called  and  Directed  by  God-— He  called  upon  his  servant 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr ,  when  he  was  but  a  boy,  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion of  his  Kingdom  for  the  last  time.  Why  did  he  call  upon 
Joseph  Smith  to  do  it?  Because  he  was  disposed  to  do  it 
Was  Joseph  Smith  the  only  person  on  earth  who  could  have 
done  this  work?  No  doubt  there  were  many  others  who, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Lord,  could  have  done  that  work ; 
but  the  Lord  selected  the  one  that  pleased  him,  and  that  is 
sufficient.  11  253. 

In  all  ages  of  the  world  that  we  have  any  knowledge  of, 
when  there  was  a  people  on  the  earth  whom  God  acknowl- 
edged as  his  people,  he  has  invariably  dictated  them  in 
spiritual  and  in  temporal  things.  This  question  was  agi- 
tated year  after  year  in  the  days  of  Joseph.  The  first  two 
Bishops  in  the  Church— Edward  Partridge  was  the  first— I 
was  well  acquainted  with  him,  and  Newel  K  Whitney  was 


704  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

the  second — questioned  the  propriety  of  Joseph  having  any- 
thing to  do  with  temporal  things  Joseph  would  argue  the 
case  with  them  a  little,  and  tell  them  how  things  were,  and 
bring  up  scripture  to  show  them  that  it  could  not  be  other- 
wise—that it  was  impossible  for  the  Lord  to  dictate  to  peo- 
ple unless  he  dictated  them  in  temporal  affairs  The  very 
first  act  after  believing  is  a  temporal  act.  After  I  hear 
ihe  Gospel  preached  and  believe  it,  I  go  down  into  the 
waters  of  baptism,  which  is  a  temporal  act ;  it  is  an  act  that 
pertains  to  my  will  and  my  body ;  I  will  that  my  body  shall 
go  down  into  the  water  and  be  immersed  for  the  remission 
of  my  sins ;  consequently,  I  have  to  go  to  the  Elder  who 
taught  me  the  Gospel,  the  spiritual  portion  of  the  Kingdom, 
and  apply  to  him  to  administer  this  temporal  ordinance, 
and  he  has  to  do  it;  having  taught  the  doctrine  he  offi- 
ciates in  the  act  and  you  will  find  it  through  life,  every  cir- 
cumstance, in  every  case,  the  man  that  dictates  the  spiritual 
Kingdom  of  God,  must  dictate  the  temporal  affairs,  it  can- 
not be  otherwise.  I  say  this  to  you,  because  the  idea  m  the 
minds  of  a  few  of  the  people  is,  "Brigham  ought  not  to 
meddle  with  temporal  affairs/'  They  said  so  to  Joseph,  and 
they  said  so  much  about  it,  that  I  went  into  the  temple  at 
Kirtland,  and  challenged  the  men  who  were  querying  on 
this,  to  prove  or  bring  up  one  instance  where  God  did  not 
manifest  his  will  concerning  temporal  things  whenever  he 
made  known  his  will  to  the  children  of  men  for  establish- 
ing his  Kingdom  on  the  earth.  They  always  came  to  the 
floor ;  they  had  to  do  it,  there  was  nothing  else  for  them ; 
it  prostrated  every  person.  There  were  William  E. 
McLellin,  John  F.  Boynton,  and  Lyman  Johnson  who  be- 
longed to  the  Twelve,  Frederick  G,  Williams,  second  coun- 
selor to  Joseph,  and  two-thirds  of  the  Htgh  Council,  all  talk- 


JOSEPH  SMITH  ,     705 

mg  about  this,  and  I  went  into  the  temple  and  just  chal- 
lenged them  to  show  wherein  the  Lord  ever  conferred  upon 
any  man  in  the  world  the  power  to  dictate  in  spiritual  af- 
fairs, that  he  did  not  in  tempoial  affairs?  They  could  not 
do  it  I  told  them  they  could  not  draw  the  line  between 
the  spiritual  and  the  temporal.  All  things  were  created 
first  spiritual,  and  then  temporal.  Everything  in  the  spirit 
world  was  presented  as  we  see  it  now,  and  this  temporal 
earth  was  presented  there.  We  were  in  the  spirit  world, 
and  we  came  here  into  this  time,  which  is  in  eternity,  noth- 
ing in  the  world  only  a  change  of  time  and  seasons  allotted 
to  a  change  of  being  that  makes  it  time  to  us.  It  is  in  eter- 
nity, and  we  are  just  as  much  in  eternity  now,  as  we  shall 
be  millions  of  years  hence  But  it  is  time  measured  to 
finite  beings,  and  it  is  changeable,  and  we  call  it  temporal, 
while  the  fact  is  it  is  all  spiritual  in  the  first  place,  then 
temporal,  then  spiritual,  and  made  immortal,  consequently 
you  cannot  divide  them  I  say  this  for  those  to  reflect  upon 
who  think  that  there  is  a  difference  between  temporal  and 
spiritual  things.  I  do  not  say,  for  I  do  not  know  that  there 
are  any  such  here.  18 ,243. 

Development  of  the  Prophet—From  the  day  that  Joseph 
obtained  the  plates,  and  previous  to  that  time,  the  Lord 
dictated  him  He  directed  him  day  by  day  and  hour  by 
hour  8:66, 

Joseph  continued  to  receive  revelation  upon  revelation, 
ordinance  upon  ordinance,  truth  upon  truth,  until  he  ob- 
tained all  that  was  necessary  for  the  salvation  of  the  human 
family.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  are  called  of  God : 
they  are  called  to  repent  and  be  baptized  for  the  remission 
of  sins.  1642. 

We  have  passed  from  one  thing  to  another,  and  I  may 


706  DISCOURSES  OF  BR1GHAM  YOUNG 

say  from  one  degree  of  knowledge  to  another  When 
Joseph  first  received  the  knowledge  of  the  plates  that  were 
in  the  hill  Cumorah,  he  did  not  then  receive  the  keys  of  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood,  he  merely  icceivcd  the  knowledge  that 
the  plates  were  there,  and  that  the  Lord  would  bring  them 
forth,  and  that  they  contained  the  history  of  the  aborigines 
of  this  country.  He  received  the  knowledge  that  they  were 
once  in  possession  of  the  Gospel,  and  from  that  time  he  went 
on,  step  by  step,  until  he  obtained  the  plates,  and  the  Urim 
and  Thummin  and  had  power  to  translate  them  This  did 
not  make  him  an  Apostle,  it  did  not  give  to  him  the  keys  of 
the  Kingdom,  nor  make  him  an  Elder  in  Israel  He  was  a 
Prophet,  and  had  the  spnit  of  prophecy,  and  had  received  all 
this  before  the  Lord  ordained  him.  And  when  the  Lord,  by 
tevelation,  told  him  to  go  to  Pennsylvania,  he  did  so,  and 
finished  the  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  and  when 
the  Lord,  in  another  revelation,  told  him  to  come  back,  into 
New  York  State,  and  to  go  to  old  Father  Whitmer's,  who 
lived  in  a  place  opposite  Waterloo,  and  there  stop,  he  did 
so,  and  had  meetings,  and  gathered  up  a  few  who  believed  in 
his  testimony  He  received  the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  and 
then  he  received  the  keys  of  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood, 
and  organized  the  Church  He  first  received  the  power  to 
baptize,  and  still  did  not  know  that  he  was  to  receive  any 
more  until  the  Lord  told  him  there  was  more  for  him  Then 
he  received  the  keys  of  the  Melchisedek  Priesthood,  and  had 
power  to  confirm  aftei  he  had  baptized,  which  he  had  not 
befoie.  He  would  have  stood  precisely  as  John  the  Bap- 
tist stood,  had  not  the  Lord  sent  his  other  messengers,  Peter, 
James  and  John,  to  ordain  Joseph  to  the  Melchizedek  Priest- 
hood Then,  after  some  of  the  brethren  had  been  out 
preaching,  he  had  a  revelation  that  they  should  go  up  to 


JOSEPH  SMITH  707 

the  State  of  Ohio.  I  knew  of  them,  though  I  was  not  ac- 
quainted with  them  before  they  went  up  there  They  were 
seen  by  some  of  my  family,  my  father  saw  and  conversed 
with  them.  Then  the  way  opened  for  a  large  gathering  in  the 
State  of  Ohio.  Parley  P.  Pratt,  Oliver  Cowdery,  Ziba 
Peterson,  David  Whitmer,  John  Whitmer,  and  a  few  others, 
went  up  there  and  preached  the  Gospel,  and  they  came 
among  the  members  of  the  society  called  Campbelhtes,  for- 
merly members  of  the  Close  Communion  Baptists,  their 
leader's  name  being  Alexander  Campbell.  This  man 
preached  the  doctrine  that  baptism  was  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  that  split  the  church;  but  when- the  brethren  came 
to  these  societies  and  taught  them,  not  only  baptism  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  but  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  believed  it,  and  were  baptized 
for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  and  received  the  laying  on  of 
hands  for  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  then  received  other  ordi- 
nances. 

At  this  time  [1841]  came  a  revelation  that  we  could 
be  baptized  for  our  dead  friends,  but  at  first  it  was  not  re- 
vealed that  a  record  should  be  kept  of  those  who  were  bap- 
tized ,  but  when  he  received  an  additional  revelation  to  that 
effect,  then  a  record  was  kept.  Hundreds  and  thousands,  I 
suppose,  were  baptized  before  any  record  was  kept  at  all, 
and  they  were  baptized  over,  and  a  record  kept  of  the  bap- 
tisms and  the  names  of  the  administrator,  those  who  acted 
for  the  dead,  and  of  the  dead,  and  of  the  witnesses.  You  can 
read  in  the  book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  the  letter  that 
Joseph  wrote,  when  he  was  away  from  home,  in  regard  to 
having  witnesses  at  these  baptisms.  I  relate  this  to  show 
you  that  the  Lord  did  not  reveal  everything  at  once.  But 
I  need  not  dwell  on  this  any  longer,  18  ;23940. 


708  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

What  Joseph  Taught— All  that  Joseph  Smith  did  was  to 
preach  the  truth-— the  Gospel  as  the  Lord  revealed  it  to  him 
— and  tell  the  people  how  to  be  saved,  and  the  honest-m- 
heart  ran  together  and  gathered  around  him  and  loved  him 
as  they  did  their  own  lives  He  could  do  no  more  than  to 
preach  true  principles,  and  that  will  gather  the  Saints  in 
the  last  days,  even  the  honest-in-heart.  All  who  believe 
and  obey  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  are  his  witnesses  to  the 
truth  of  these  statements  10  326, 

The  excellency  of  the  glory  of  the  character  of  Brother 
Joseph  Smith  was  that  he  could  reduce  heavenly  things  to 
the  understanding  of  the  finite.  When  he  preached  to  the 
people— levealed  the  things  of  God,  the  will  of  God,  the 
plan  of  salvation,  the  purposes  of  Jehovah,  the  relation  in 
which  we  stand  to  him  and  all  the  heavenly  beings,  he  re- 
duced his  teachings  to  the  capacity  of  every  man,  woman, 
and  child,  making  them  as  plain  as  a  well-defined  p'athway. 
This  should  have  convinced  every  person  that  ever  heard 
of  him  of  his  divine  authority  and  powei,  for  no  other  man 
was  able  to  teach  as  he  could,  and  no  person  can  reveal  the 
things  of  God,  but  by  the  revelations  of  Jesus  Christ.  8  206 

No  man  was  to  be  found  who  could  teach  repentance 
and  baptism  for  the  remission  of  sins,  with  authority  to  ad- 
minister in  the  ordinances,  until  God  commissioned  Joseph 
Smith,  and  sent  him  forth  with  his  commandment  to  the 
people  Previous  to  that  time,  I  searched  everything  per- 
taining to  the  churches;  I  searched  high  and  low  to  find 
whether  there  was  any  such  thing  as  pure  religion  upon  the 
earth;  I  searched  for  a  man  that  could  tell  me  something  of 
God,  of  heaven,  of  angels  and  of  eternal  life.  I  believed  in 
God  the  Father,  and  in  Jesus  Christ,  but  I  could  not  believe 
that  the  Church  of  Christ  was  upon  the  earth.  The  ques- 


JOSEPH  SMITH  709 

tion  was  frequently  asked,  "Is  the  Methodist  Church,  the 
Quakeis,  or  the  Mother  Chinch  right?"  No,  I  would  reply, 
there  is  not  a  Bible  church  upon  the  earth.  I  might  have 
continued  to  study  the  Bible  and  all  the  books  that  have 
been  written,  and  without  revelation  from  God  I  would  have 
been  like  the  sounding  brass  or  tinkling  cymbal,  having 
no  knowledge  of  God,  of  true  religion,  of  the  redemp- 
tion of  the  living  or  of  the  dead;  I  would  have  lived 
and  died  in  ignorance ;  and  this  was  the  condition  of  all  the 
inhabitants  of'the  earth,  10  311. 

There  was  nothing  of  a  temporal  or  spiritual  nature  sug- 
gested by  Joseph  Smith  in  his  day,  for  the  action  of  the 
Latter-day  Saints  that  would  not  have  been  beneficial  for 
them;  if  they  had,  with  one  heart  and  mind,  performed  all 
he  desired  them  to  do.  11 .18. 

Results  of  the  Prophet's  Labors — Joseph  Smith,  though 
he  spent  only  fouiteen  years  in  presiding  over  this  people, 
organizing  the  Church,  proclaiming  the  Gospel  and  receiv- 
ing revelations,  yet  had  hundreds  and  thousands  of  men  arid 
women  who  were  ready  to  go  to  the  death  with  him  14 .149. 

Now,  as  bad  as  myself  and  my  brethren  are,  and  as  far 
as  we  are  from  the  mark,  and  from  the  privileges  we  should 
enjoy,  if  Joseph  Smith,  Jr,  the  Prophet,  could  have  seen 
the  people  in  his  day  as  willing  to  obey  his  voice,  as  they 
are  today  to  obey  the  voice  of  their  President,  he  would 
have  been1  a  happy  man.  He  lived,  labored,  toiled,  and 
worked ;  his  courage  was  like  the  courage  of  an  angel,  and 
his  will  was  like  the  will  of  the  Almighty,  and  he  labored 
till  they  killed  him.  11 :322. 

Persecutions  of  the  Prophet— Are  there  not  scores  of 
men  and  women  here  who  are  familiar  with*  the  death  of 
our  Prophet?  Why  did  people  hate  him?  Because  of  his 


710  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

influence  Did  he  gain  or  exercise  an  umighteous  influ- 
ence? By  no  means  He  possessed  a  righteous  influence 
over  the  spirits,  feelings,  passions,  and  dispositions  of  all 
who  delighted  in  truth  and  goodness,  so  far  as  he  associated, 
and  could  guide  them  at  his  pleasure 

Am  I  hated  for  the  same  cause?  lam.  I  am  hated  for 
teaching  people  the  way  of  life  and  salvation— for  teaching 
them  principles  that  pertain  to  eternity,  by  which  the  Gods 
were  and  are,  and  by  which  they  gam  influence  and  power 
Obtain  that  influence,  and  you  will  be  hated,  despised,  and 
hunted  like  the  roe  upon  the  mountains  The  way  to  obtain 
that  influence  is  pointed  out—by  whom?  By  him  through 
whom  the  worlds  were  created,  and  who  has  redeemed  this 
earth  and  all  things  upon  it  7*3 

Our  situation  is  peculiar  at  the  present  time  Has  it  not 
been  peculiar  ever  since  Joseph  found  the  plates?  The  cir- 
cumstances that  surrounded  him  when  he  found  the  plates 
were  singular  and  strange  He  passed  a  short  life  of  sorrow 
and  trouble,  surrounded  by  enemies  who  sought  day  and 
night  to  destroy  him  If  a  thousand  hounds  were  on  this 
Temple  Block,  let  loose  on  one  rabbit,  it  would  not  be  a  bad 
illustration  of  the  situation  at  times  of  the  Prophet  Joseph. 
He  was  hunted  unremittingly  We  have  the  privilege  of  be- 
lieving the  same  Gospel  that  Joseph  taught,  and  with  him  of 
being  numbered  with  those  whose  names  are  cast  out  as 
evil.  10:315. 

June  27,  1844,  a  little  over  fourteen  years  after  the  or- 
ganization of  this  Church,  Joseph  Smith  was  slain.  In  his 
day  there  were  but  very  few  years  of  rest  for  the  Saints 
They  occupied  Nauvoo  longer  than  any  other  one  place, 
they  lived  there  about  seven  years.  We  left  Nauvoo  in 
1846,  and  from  that  time  until  now  this  Church  has  not  been 


JOSEPH  SMITH  711 

compelled  to  abandon  their  property  and  homes.  We  came 
here  in  the  best  and  quickest  way  in  our  power,  and  have 
been  building,  fencing,  planting,  sowing,  and  making  our- 
selves comfortable  It  is  now  more  than  ten  years  since 
we  first  located  here,  unmolested  and  undisturbed.  7  42 
I  lived  close  by  where  these  plates  were  found  I  knew 
that  Joseph  found  them,  from  outward  circumstances  that 
transpired  at  the  time.  I  shall  not  take  time  to  relate  but 
a  little  of  the  delicate,  kind,  benevolent,  Christian-like,  I 
will  say  anti-Godlike  feelings  of  the  priests  and  of  the  peo- 
ple who  professed  Christianity  at  the  time  that  Joseph  or- 
ganized this  Church  The  very  first  thing  that  was  circu- 
lated was  this — "Did  you  hear  that  Joe  Smith  and  his  fol- 
lowers got  together  last  night,  blew  out  the  light,  stripped 
themselves  stark  naked,  and  there  they  had  the  holy  roll?" 
A  great  many  of  you  do  not  understand  this  term.  It  came 
from  the  Shaking  Quakers  I  shall  not  attempt  to  relate 
here  the  conduct  attributed  to  them,  but  from  that  sprung 
the  peculiar  phrase  I  have  mentioned  in  your  hearing  this 
afternoon.  In  a  very  short  time  we  were  all  thieves  in  the 
estimation  of  our  so-called  Christian  neighbors.  Said  the 
priest  to  a  beloved  sister,  "Sister,  did  you  hear  of  such  a 
man,  he  was  a  member  of  our  church  a  few  days  since,  but 
he  has  joined  old  Joe  Smith?"  Says  the  sister,  "No,  can  it 
be  possible?"  "Well,  they  say  so,"  says  the  priest,  and  he 
himself  had  fabricated  the  entire  story.  This  sister  would 
tell  it  to  another,  and  it  would  go  all  through  the  neighbor- 
hood that  such  a  man,  who  only  a  few  days  before  had  been 
considered  by  them  as  good  a  brother  as  they  had  in  their 
church,  had  become  a  chicken  thief.  But  you  cannot  men- 
tion any  crime  that  this  people  called  Latter-day  Saints 
have  not  been  accused  of  committing  by  their  so-called 


712  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Christian  neighbors,  and  these  stories  would  generally  com- 
mence by  the  priests  whispering  to  some  sister,  "Did  you 
hear  of  such  and  such  a  thing?"  That  was  enough,  all  that 
was  wanted,  it  became  a  solemn  fact  by  the  time  it  passed 
the  third  mouth.  16  67. 

Had  Joseph  Smith  been  an  impostor  and  of  the  world, 
the  world  would  not  have  hated  him,  but  would  have  loved 
its  own.  Had  Joseph  Smith  made  political  capital  of  his 
religion  and  calling,  and  raised  up  a  political  party,  he 
doubtless  would  have  become  celebrated  and  renowned  in 
the  world  as  a  great  man  and  as  a  great  leader.  9  -332. 

Harrassed  by  Lawsuits— He  was  poor,  harrassed,  dis- 
tressed, afflicted,  and  tormented  with  lawsuits,  persecu- 
tion upon  persecution,  and  it  cost  thousands  and  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  to  keep  him  alive,  which  a 
few  had  to  sustain  Is  this  affliction  upon  them  now?  It 
is  not  The  scene  is  reversed  And  as  the  people  once 
thought,  that  many  by  one  man  could  be  made  poor,  they 
now  believe,  by  one  man  many  will  be  made  rich.  At  the 
present  day  I  do  not  know  where  the  opportunity  is  to 
prove  the  people.  1  75. 

Joseph  Smith  was  arraigned  before  Judge  Austin  A. 
King,  on  a  charge  of  treason.  The  Judge  inquired  of  Mr. 
Smith,  "Do  you  believe  and  teach  the  doctrine  that  in  the 
course  of  time  the  Saints  will  possess  the  earth?'1  Joseph 
replied  that  he  did,  "Do  you  believe  that  the  Lord  will 
raise  up  a  kingdom  that  will  fill  the  whole  earth  and  rule 
over  all  other  kingdoms,  as  the  Prophet  Daniel  has  said?" 
"Yes,  sir,  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  will  reign  King  of  na- 
tions as  he  does  King  of  Saints?"  "Write  that  down,  clerk , 
we  want  to  fasten  upon  him  the  charge  of  treason,  for  if 
he  believes  this,  he  must  believe  that  the  State  of  Missouri 


JOSEPH  SMITH  1     713 

will  crumble  and  fall  to  rise  no  more  "  Lawyer  Doniphan 
said  to  the  Judge,  "Judge,  you  had  better  make  the  Bible 
treason  and  have  done  with  it."  9 '331, 

Joseph,  our  Prophet,  was  hunted  and  driven,  arrested 
and  persecuted,  and  although  no  law  was  ever  made  in 
these  United  States  that  would  bear  against  him,  for  he 
never  broke  a  law,  yet  to  my  certain  knowledge  he  was  de- 
fendant in  forty-six  lawsuits,  and  every  time  Mr  Priest 
was  at  the  head  of  and  led  the  band  or  mob.  who  hunted 
and  persecuted  him  And  when  Joseph  and  Hyrum  were 
slain  in  Carthage  jail,  the  mob,  painted  like  Indians,  was  led 
by  a  preacher.  14.199. 

Joseph  Smith,  in  forty-six  prosecutions,  was  never 
proved  guilty  of  one  violation  of  the  laws  of  his  country. 
They  accused  him  of  treason,  because  he  would  not  fellow- 
ship their  wickedness,  10:111. 

Of  Good  Character — We  can  find  no  person  who  pre- 
sents a  better  character  to  the  world,  when  the  facts  are 
known,  than  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  Prophet,  and  his  brother, 
Hyrum  Smith,  who  was  murdered  with  him  14  *203. 

The  history  of  Joseph  and  Mary  is  given  to  us  by  their 
best  friends,  and  precisely  as  we  will  give  the  history  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph.  We  know  him  to  have  been  a  good  man, 
we  know  that  he  performed  his  mission,  we  know  that  he 
was  an  honorable  man  and  dealt  justly,  we  know  his  true 
character.  3:366. 

But  let  his  enemies  give  his  character,  and  they  will 
make  him  out  one  of  the  basest  men  that  ever  lived.  Let 
the  enemies  of  Joseph  and  Mary  give  their  characters  to 
us,  and  you  would  be  strongly  tempted  to  believe  as  the 
Jews  believe.  3:366. 

Why  the  Prophet  Was  Killed— If  it  be  the  will  of  the 


714  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Lord  for  the  people  to  live,  they  will  live  If  it  had  been 
the  will  of  the  Lord  that  Joseph  and  Hyrum  should  have 
lived,  they  would  have  lived  It  was  necessary  for  Joseph 
to  seal  his  testimony  with  his  blood.  Had  he  been  destined 
to  live  he  would  have  lived.  The  Lord  suffered  his  de,ath 
to  bring  justice  on  the  nation.  The  debt  is  contracted  and 
they  have  it  to  pay.  13  95. 

Many  of  the  Prophets  have  sealed  their  testimony  with 
their  blood,  that  their  testament  might  go  forth  with  force 
and  not  return  void.  As  in  ancient  days,  so  in  modem  days 
When  Joseph  Smith  sealed  his  testimony  with  his  blood, 
his  testament  from  that  moment  was  in  force  to  all  the 
world ;  and  woe  to  those  who  fight  against  it  19 .5 

Joseph  Smith  knew  this,  and  when  he  went  to  Carthage 
he  said,  "I  go  to  death ,  I  go  like  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter , 
I  go  to  my  fate."  10194 

If  Brother  Joseph  Smith  had  taken  a  company  and 
come  to  this  country,  as  he  intended  to  do,  he  could  have 
been  living  here  now,  in  spite  of  earth  and  hell.  5  342 

Forty-five  years  ago  they  were  determined  to  kill  the 
Prophet  Joseph  I  have  lam  upon  the  floor  scores  of  nights 
ready  to  receive  the  mob  who  sought  his  life  This  persecu- 
tion commenced  with  a  little  neighborhood,  then  a  town, 
then  a  county,  then  a  state,  and  then  the  people  of  the 
United  States;  and  by  and  by  other  nations  will  be  just  as 
bitter  towards  us  and  the  doctrines  we  preach,  as  many  of 
the  people  of  our  own  nation  now  are  They  will  struggle 
and  strive,  and  plan  and  devise,  saying,  "Let  us  take  this 
course,  and  that  course ;"  and  they  will  struggle  until  they 
will  come  to  a  stop  as  though  they  were  against  a  moun- 
tain of  solid  rock.  They  will  do  all  they  can  to  break  us  up, 
and  even  destroy  us;  this  has  been  the  case  now  for  the  last 


JOSEPH   SMITH  ,     715 

forty-five  years  Joseph  Smith  had  forty-six  lawsuits, 
and  I  was  with  him  through  the  most  of  them,  and  never 
was  the  first  thing  proved  against  him ;  he  was  never  guilty 
of  the  first  violation  of  the  law  or  of  good  order.  And  when 
Governor  Ford  asked  him  to  go  to  prison,  as  the  mob  were 
so  enraged  that  he  could  not  insure  his  life,  that  he  might 
be  safe  until  he  returned  from  Nauvoo,  he  said  "I  will 
pledge  you  the  faith  of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  your  safety." 
But  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  the  mob  murdered  both  Joseph 
and  his  brother  Hyrum,  in  the  jail.  That  was  to  be  so.  I 
heard  Joseph  say  many  a  time,  "I  shall  not  live  until  I  am 
forty  years  of  age."  The  spring  before  he  was  killed — his 
death  occurred  the  27th  of  June,  1844 — he  hurried  off  the 
first  Elders  of  the  Church.  All  right,  I  thought  then,  and 
I  think  so  now.  It  is  all  in  the  hands  of  God.  They  killed 
Joseph,  and  what  for?  For  the  Gospel's  sake.  It  was  for 
no  evil,  for  I  was  well  acquainted  with  him.  He  testified  to 
the  truth,  he  sealed  his  testimony  with  his  blood.  Whether 
we  believe  in  blood  atonement  or  not,  the  Lord  so  ordered 
it,  that  Joseph,  as  well  as  others  of  the  Prophets,  sealed 
their  testimony  with  their  blood.  18:361. 

Joseph's  Work  in  the  Spirit  World— Jesus  had  a  work 
to  do  on  the  earth.  He  performed  his  mission,  and  then 
was  slain  for  his  testimony  So  it  has  been  with  every  man 
who  has  been  foreordained  to  perform  certain  important 
missions.  Joseph  truly  said,  "No  power  can  take  away  my 
life,  until  my  work  is  done."  All  the  powers  of  earth  and 
hell  could  not  take  his  life,  until  he  had  completed  the  work 
the  Father  gave  him  to  do ;  until  that  was  done,  he  had  to 
live.  When  he  died  he  had  a  mission  in  the  spirit  world, 
as  much  so  as  Jesus  had.  '4:285. 

Is  Joseph  glorified?    No,  he  is  preaching  to  the  spirits 


716  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  prison  He  will  get  his  resurrection  the  first  of  any  one 
in  this  Kingdom,  for  he  was  the  first  that  God  made  choice 
of  to  bring  forth  the  work  of  the  last  days 

His  office  is  not  taken  from  him,  he  has  only  gone  to 
labor  in  another  department  of  the  operations  of  the  Al- 
mighty He  is  still  an  Apostle,  still  a  Prophet,  and  is  doing 
the  work  of  an  Apostle  and  Piophet,  he  has  gone  one  step 
beyond  us  and  gained  a  victoiy  that  you  and  I  have  not 
gained,  still  he  has  not  yet  gone  into  the  celestial  kingdom, 
or,  if  he  has,  it  has  been  by  a  direct  command  of  the  Al- 
mighty, and  that,  too,  to  return  again  so  soon  as  the  purpose 
has  been  accomplished.  3  -371 

Nature  of  the  Prophet  and  His  Family—What  of  Joseph 
Smith's  family7  What  of  his  boys?  I  have  prayed  from  the 
beginning  for  Sister  Emma  and  for  the  whole  family.  There 
is  not  a  man  in  this  Church  that  has  entertained  better  feel- 
ings towards  them  Joseph  said  to  me,  ''God  will  take  care 
of  my  children  when  I  am  taken."  They  are  in  the  hands 
of  God,  and  when  they  make  their  appearance  before  this 
people,  full  of  his  power,  there  are  none  but  what  will  say, 
"Amen !  we  are  ready  to  receive  you."  8  69 

The  Twelve,  the  Successors  of  the  Prophet— At  the 
death  of  Joseph,  when  the  Twelve  returned  to  Nauvoo,  to 
use  a  comparison,  the  horses  were  all  harnessed  and  the 
people  were  in  the  big  carriage,  and  where  were  they  going? 
They  did  not  know  Who  would  gather  up  the  lines  and 
guide  the  team?  No  man  would  step  forward,  until  I  did 
There  was  not  one  of  the  Twelve  with  me  when  I  went  to 
meet  Sidney  Rigdon  on  the  meeting-ground.  I  went  alone, 
and  was  ready  alone  to  face  and  cinve  the  dogs  from  the 
flock  8.317 

Now,  it  is  no  more  my  duty  to  live  so  as  to  know  the 


JOSEPH  SMITH  717 

mind  and  will  of  the  Lord, than  it  is  the  duty  of  my  breth- 
ren, the  rest  of  the  Twelve  I  say  the  rest  of  the  Twelve, 
because  I  am  the  President  of  the  Quorum  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  on  the  earth,  and  the  only  one  that  the  Lord  has 
ever  acknowledged  It  is  tiuc  that  Thomas  B.  Marsh  was 
om*e  President,  but  the  Lord  never  acknowledged  any  man 
by  revelation  as  President  of  that  Quorum  but  myself.  At 
the  death  of  Joseph  I  stepped  out  from  that  position  in  the 
advance,  according  to  the  organization  of  the  Church,  for 
the  sake  of  preserving  the  flock  of  God,  but  not  according 
to  my  wishes,  nor  the  desire  of  my  heait,  but  it  was  my 
duty  When  I  heard  of  the  Prophet's  death  I  said,  "What 
will  become  of  the  people?  What  will  the  Saints  do  now 
that  the  Prophet  has  gone?"  It  was  my  whole  desire  to 
preserve  the  sheep  of  the  flock  of  God,  and  it  is  so  today. 
Brother  Kimball  also  stepped  into  the  first  Presidency,  and 
we  called  others  and  ordained  them  to  take  our  place  for 
the  time  being,  that  the  Church  might  be  fully  organized, 
and  we  expect  to  ordain  more  when  we  feel  like  it  18  -70 

Some  Sayings  of  the  Prophet—Joseph  used  to  say, 
"When  you  get  the  Latter-day  Saints  to  agree  on  any  point, 
you  may  know  it  is  the  voice  of  God."  12  -301. 

Will  the  Constitution  be  destroyed?  No;  it  will  be  held 
inviolate  by  this  people;  and,  as  Joseph  Smith  said,  "The 
time  will  come  when  the  destiny  of  the  nation  will  hang 
upon  a  single  thread  At  this  critical  juncture,  this  people 
will  step  forth  and  save  it  from  the  threatened  destruction." 
It  will  be  so.  7:15, 

Hundreds  of  people  in  this  house  are  my  witnesses,  who 
heard  Joseph  say,  when  asked  whether  we  should  ever  dare 
to  leave  Nauvoo,  "The  Saints  will  leave  Nauvoo.  I  do  not 
say  they  will  be  driven,  as  they  were  from  Jackson  County, 


718  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Missouri,  and  from  that  State,  but  they  will  leave  heie  and 
go  to  the  mountains  And  the  next  time  the  Saints  remove, 
or  are  caused  lo  remove,  they  will  be  turned  out  of  the  fry- 
ing-pan, not  into  the  fire,  but  into  the  middle  of  the  floor  " 
If  this  is  not  the  middle  of  the  floor,  I  do  not  know  where 
you  will  find  it.  8  356, 

I  recollect  many  times  when  Brother  Joseph,  reflecting 
upon  how  many  would  come  into  the  Kingdom  of  God  and 
go  out  again,  would  say,  "Brethren,  I  have  not  apostatized 
yet,  and  don't  feel  like  doing  so."  Many  of  you,  no  doubt, 
can  call  to  mind  his  words.  Joseph  had  to  pray  all  the 
time,  exercise  faith,  live  his  religion,  and  magnify  his  call- 
ing, to  obtain  the  manifestations  of  the  Lord,  and  to  keep 
him  steadfast  in  the  faith.  2.257. 

Who  delivered  Joseph  Smith  from  the  hands  of  his 
enemies  to  the  day  of  his  death ?  It  was  God;  though  he 
was  brought  to  the  brink  of  death  time  and  time  again,  and, 
to  all  human  appearance,  could  not  be  delivered,  and  there 
was  no  probability  of  his  being  saved  When  he  was  in  jail 
in  Missouri,  and  no  person  expected  that  he  would  ever 
escape  from  their  hands,  I  had  the  faith  of  Abiaham,  and 
told  the  brethren,  "As  the  Lord  God  Hveth,  he  shall  come 
out  of  their  hands"  Though  he  had  prophesied  that  he 
would  not  live  to  be  forty  yeais  of  age,  yet  we  all  cherished 
hopes  that  that  would  be  a  false  prophecy,  and  we  should 
keep  him  forever  with  us ,  we  thought  our  faith  would  out- 
reach it,  but  we  were  mistaken — he  at  last  fell  a  martyr  to 
his  religion  I  said,  "It  is  all  right,  now  the  testimony  is 
m  full  force ,  he  has  sealed  it  with  his  blood,  and  that  makes 
it  valid."  1.364. 

The  question  was  asked  a  great  many  times  of  Joseph 
Smith,  by  gentlemen  who  came  to  see  him  and  his  people, 


JOSEPH   SMITH  719 

''How  is  it  that  you  can  control  your  people  so  easily?  It 
appears  that  they  do  nothing  but  what  you  say ,  how  is  it 
that  you  can  govern  them  so  easily?"  Said  he,  "I  do  not 
govern  them  at  all.  The  Lord  has  revealed  certain  princi- 
ples from  the  heavens  by  which  we  are  to  live  in  these  latter 
days  The  time  is  drawing  near  when  the  Lord  is  going  to 
gather  out  his  people  from  the  wicked,  and  he  is  going  to 
cut  short  his  work  in  righteousness,  and  the  principles 
which  he  has  revealed  I  have  taught  to  the  people  and  they 
are  trying  to  live  according  to  them,  and  they  control  them- 
selves." 

Gentlemen,  this  is  the  great  secret  now  in  controlling 
this  people  It  is  thought  that  I  control  them,  but  it  is  not 
so  It  is  as  much  as  I  can  do  to  control  myself  and  to  keep 
myself  straight  and  teach  the  people  the  principles  by  which 
they  should  live  13  176. 

I  recollect  one  remark  that  Brother  Joseph  used  to  make 
frequently,  when  talking  to  the  Elders.  No  matter  what  he 
set  them  to  do,  whether  he  wanted  them  to  go  to  a  foreign 
land  on  a  mission,  or  to  go  into  business,  he  would  say, 
"When  you  commence,  go  m  at  the  little  end  of  the  horn , 
for  if  you  do  not,  but  enter  at  the  big  end,  you  will  either 
have  to  turn  round  and  come  out  at  the  end  you  went  in 
at,  or  go  out  at  the  small  end,  and  be  squeezed  nigh  unto 
death  " 

Let  an  Elder  hire  the  best  halls  in  large  cities  to  begin 
with,  and  go  to  lecturing,  and  it  will  take  him  a  long  time 
to  raise  a  Branch  of  this  Church  But  let  him  begin  among 
the  poor  of  the  earth— those  who  live  in  the  cellars,  and 
garrets,  and  back  streets;  "for,"  says  the  Almighty,  "I  am 
going  to  take  the  weak  things  of  the  earth,  and  with  them 
confound  the  wisdom  of  the  wise."  You  will  see  that  trait 


720  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  every  step  of  "Mormonism."  God  has  chosen  the  ob- 
scure and  weak,  to  bring  them  tip  and  exalt  them  Is  not 
that  the  work  of  a  God,  the  performance  of  this  work  with- 
out money  and  without  price?  The  Gospel  is  sent  to  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth—to  (he  high  and  the  low,  the  noble 
and  the  ignoble,  the  young  and  the  old.  "Here  is  the 
Gospel;  you  are  welcome  to  it."  "Don't  you  ask  anything 
for  it?  Not  a  farthing  It  has  to  go  to  the  world,  with- 
out money  and  price."  Now,  compare  this  with  carrying 
the  Gospel  with  your  pockets  full  of  money;  and  in  the 
latter  case,  where  is  your  glory  and  honor?  8.354. 

I  recollect,  in  Far  West,  Joseph,  talking  upon  these 
matters,  said,  "The  people  cannot  bear  the  revelations  that 
the  Lord  has  for  them.  There  were  a  great  many  revela- 
tions if  the  people  could  bear  them."  I  think  it  was  the 
eighth  day  of  July,  1831,  Joseph  had  a  revelation  that  the 
people  should  consecrate  their  surplus  property  for  the 
building  of  a  temple  there  in  Far  West,  for  the  support  of 
the  Priesthood,  for  the  paying  of  the  debts  of  the  Presi- 
dency, etc ,  which  I  could  give  an  account  of,  for  I  was  pres- 
ent when  it  came.  Joseph  was  doing  business  in  Kirtland, 
and  it  seemed  as  though  all  creation  was  upon  him,  to 
hamper  him  in  every  way,  and  they  drove  him  from  his 
business,  and  it  left  him  so  that  some  of  his  debts  had  to  be 
settled  afterwards ,  and  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  they  were 
settled  up ;  still  further,  we  have  sent  East  to  New  York,  to 
Ohio,  and  to  every  place  where  I  had  any  idea  that  Joseph 
had  ever  done  business,  and  inquired  if  there  was  a  man  left 
to  whom  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  Prophet,  owed  a  dollar,  or  a 
sixpence.  If  there  was  we  would  pay  it.  But  I  have  not 
been  able  to  find  one.  I  have  advertised  this  through  every 


JOSEPH   SMITH  721 

neighborhood  and  place  where  he  formerly  lived,  conse- 
quently I  have  a  right  to  conclude  that  all  his  debts  were 
settled.  18  242 

Brother  Kimball  quoted  a  saying  of  Joseph  the  Prophet, 
that  he  would  not  worship  a  God  who  had  not  a  Father;  and 
I  do  not  know  that  he  would  if  he  had  not  a  mother ,  the  one 
would  be  as  absurd  as  the  other.  If  he  had  a  Father,  he 
was  made  in  his  likeness.  And  if  he  is  our  Father  we  are 
made  after  his  image  and  likeness.  He  once  possessed  a 
body,  as  we  now  do;  and  our  bodies  are  as  much  to  us,  as 
his  body  to  him.  Every  iota  of  this  organization  is  neces- 
sary to  secure  for  us  an  exaltation  with  the  Gods.  9:286. 

My  name  is  had  for  good  and  evil  upon  the  whole  earth, 
as  promised  to  me.  Thirty  years  ago  Brother  Joseph,  in 
a  lecture*  to  the  Twelve  said  to  me,  "Your  name  shall  be 
known  for  good  and  evil  throughout  the  world,"  and  it  is 
so.  The  good  love  me,  weak  and  humble  as  I  am,  and  the 
wicked  hate  me;  but  there  is  no  individual  on  the  earth  but 
what  I  would  lead  to  salvation,  if  he  would  let  me ,  I  would 
take  him  by  the  hand,  like  a  child,  and  lead  him  like  a  father 
in  the  way  that  would  bring  him  to  salvation.  10:297. 


CHAPTER  XLII 
THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST 

The  Journey  Across  the  Plains — A  short  recital  of  the 
reasons,  why  these  children  before  me  were  born  here  in- 
stead of  being  born  in  the  States,  I  can  give  to  you,  and  will 
endeavor  to  do  so  in  a  few  words. 

In  1830,  forty-seven  years  ago  last  March,  the  Book  of 
Mormon  was  printed  and  bound.  Joseph  Smith  had  re- 
ceived revelation,  and  plates  on  which  were  en- 
graved characters  from  which  the  book  was  trans- 
lated Before  the  book  was  printed,  before  Joseph  had  the 
privilege  of  testifying  to  the  truth  of  the  latter-day  work, 
persecution  was  raised  against  him.  On  the  6th  day  of 
April  of  the  same  year  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  was  or- 
ganized. Persecution  increased  and  continued  to  increase 
He  left  the  State  of  New  York  and  went  to  the  State  of 
Ohio.  The  Gospel  was  preached  there  and  many  received 
it.  A  settlement  was  formed,  but  Joseph  had  not  the  priv- 
ilege of  staying  there  long  before  they  hunted  him  so  de- 
terminedly that  he  was  forced  to  leave  Kirtland  and  the 
State  of  Ohio.  He  then  went  to  Missouri.  In  the  year 
1838,  in  the  month  of  March,  in  company  with  a  number  of 
brethren,  myself  included,  Joseph  arrived  at  Far  West, 
Caldwell  County,  Missouri  We  had  not  the  privilege  of 
staying  there  more  than  for  a  few  months  before  the  cry 
was  raised  against  Joseph  Smith,  that  he  was  guilty  of  high 
treason.  This  aroused  the  people  and  the  government  of  the 
state;  and  in  October,  thirty-five  hundred  of  the  militia  of 
the  state  of  Missouri  were  marched  against  a  few  of  us  in 
Far  West.  They  succeeded  in  taking  Joseph  and  Hyrum 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN"  THE  WEST  723 

and  sixty-five  others  and  putting-  them  in  prison.  When 
Joseph  had  his  trial,  the  great  accusation  against  him  was 
that  he  believed  in  the  fulfilment  of  prophecy — the  pro- 
phecies that  had  been  made  by  Prophets  of  old  and  con- 
tained in  Holy  Writ  When  Judge  King  asked  Joseph  if  he 
believed  the  predictions  of  Daniel  the  Prophet,  that  m  the 
latter-days  the  God  of  heaven  would  set  up  a  kingdom 
which  should  succeed  and  finally  rule  and  hold  dominion 
over  all  other  kingdoms,  Joseph  replied  that  he  did  believe 
this  scripture  as  well  as  the  rest.  This  was  considered 
treason!  Joseph's  lawyer  turned  to  Judge  King  and  said, 
"Judge,  I  think  you  had  better  write  it  down  that  the  Bible 
is  treason/'  and  this  was  all  they  found  against  him.  But 
the  mob  continued  until  they  drove  the  Latter-day  Saints 
out  of  the  state  of  Missouri  We  were  told  if  we  remained 
there  the  people  would  be  upon  us  What  we  were  guilty 
of  we  did  not  know,  only  that  we  believed  in  the  Bible  and 
the  fulfilment  of  prophecy,  or,  in  other  words,  in  the  literal 
reading  of  the  word  of  God.  They  succeeded,  after  killing 
many  of  the  Latter-day  Saints — men,  women,  and  children, 
cruelly  massacring  them— in  driving  us  out  of  the  state 
to  the  State  of  Illinois,  where  the  people  received  us  with 
open  arms,  especially  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Quincy; 
for  which  kindness  the  hearts  of  our  people  who  passed 
through  these  scenes  have  ever  been  lifted  to  God,  petition- 
ing for  blessings  upon  them.  And  they  have  been  blessed 
We  lived  in  the  State  of  Illinois  a  few  years ;  and  here,  as 
elsewhere,  persecution  overtook  us.  It  came  from  Missouri, 
centering  itself  upon  Joseph,  and  fastened  itself  upon  others. 
We  lived  m  Illinois  from  1839  to  1844,  by  which  time  they 
again  succeeded  m  kindling  the  spirit  of  persecution  against 
Joseph  and  the  Latter-day  Saints.  Treason!  Treason! 


724  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

Treason!  they  cried,  'calling  us  murderers,  thieves,  liars, 
adulterers,  and  the  worst  people  on  the  earth.  And  this 
was  done  by  the  priests,  those  pious  dispensers  of  the 
Christian  religion  whose  charity  was  supposed  to  be  extend- 
ed to  all  men,  Christian  and  heathen,  they  were  joined  by 
drunkardvS,  gamblers,  thieves,  liars,  in  crying  against  the 
Latter-day  Saints.  They  took  Joseph  and  Hyrum,  and  as 
a  guarantee  for  their  safety,  Governor  Thomas  Ford 
pledged  the  faith  of  the  State  of  Illinois  They  were  im- 
prisoned, on  the  pretense  of  safe  keeping,  because  the  mob 
was  so  enraged  and  violent.  The  Governor  left  them  in 
the  hands  of  the  mob,  who  entered  the  prison  and  shot  them 
dead.  John  Taylor,  who  is  present  with  us  today,  was  in 
the  prison  too,  and  was  also  shot,  and  was  confined  to  his 
bed  for  several  months  afterwards  After  the  mob  had 
committed  these  murders,  they  came  upon  us  and  burned 
our  houses  and  grain.  When  the  brethren  would  go  out  to 
put  out  the  fire,  the  mob  would  he  concealed  under  fences, 
and  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  they  would  shoot  them 
At  last  they  succeeded  in  driving  us  from  the  State  of 
Illinois. 

Three  congressmen  came  m  the  fall  of  1845,  and  had  a 
conference  with  the  Twelve  and  others ;  they  were  desirous 
that  we  should  leave  the  United  States  We  told  them  we 
would  do  so,  we  had  stayed  long  enough  with  them,  we 
agreed  to  leave  the  State  of  Illinois  in  consequence  of  that 
religious  prejudice  against  us  that  we  could  not  stay  in 
peace  any  longer.  These  men  said  the  people  were  pre- 
judiced against  us.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  one  of  the  three, 
had  been  acquainted  with  us.  He  said,  "I  know  you,  I  know 
Joseph  Smith;  he  was  a  good  man,"  and  this  people  are  a 
good  people ;  but  the  prejudices  of  the  priests  and  the  un~ 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  725 

godly  are  such  that,  said  he,  "Gentlemen,  you  cannot  stay 
here  and  live  in  peace."  We  agreed  to  leave.  We  left  Nau- 
voo  in  February,  1846.  There  remained  behind  a  few  of  the 
very  poor,  the  sick  and  the  aged,  who  suffered  again  from 
the  violence  of  the  mob ;  they  were  whipped  and  beaten,  and 
had  their  houses  burned.  We  travelled  west,  stopping  in 
places,  building  settlements,  where  we  left  the  poor  who 
could  not  travel  any  farther  with  the  company.  Exactly 
thirty  years  today  myself,  with  others,  came  out  of  what  we 
named  Emigration  Canyon;  we  crossed  the  Big  and  Little 
mountains,  and  came  down  the  valley  about  three  quarters 
of  a  mile  south  of  this.  We  located,  and  we  looked  about, 
and  finally  we  came  and  camped  between  the  two  forks  of 
City  Creek,  one  of  which  ran  south-west  and  the  other 
west.  Here  we  planted  our  standard  on  this  temple  block 
and  the  one  above  it;  here  we  pitched  our  camps  and  de- 
termined that  here  we  would  settle  and  stop.  Still  our 
brethren  who  tarried  by  the  way  were  toiling  through  pov- 
erty and  distress.  At  one  time,  J  was  told,  they  would  have 
perished  from  starvation,  had  not  the  Lord  sent  quails 
among  them.  These  birds  flew  against  their  wagons,  and 
they  either  killed  or  stunned  themselves,  and  the  brethren 
and  sisters  gathered  them  up,  which  furnished  them  with 
food  for  days,  until  they  made  their  way  in  the  wilderness. 

Children,  we  are  the  pioneers  of  this  country,  with  one 
exception,  west  of  the  Mississippi  river ;  we  established  the 
first  printing  press  in  every  state  from  here  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  and  we  were  the  first  to  establish  good  schools ;  we 
were  the  first  to  plant  out  orchards  and  to  improve  the 
desert  country,  making  it  like  the  Garden  of  Eden.  19 :60. 

We  wish  strangers  to  understand  that  we  did  not  come 
here  out  of  choice,  but  because  we  were  obliged  to  go  some- 


726  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

where,  and  this  was  the  best  place  we  could  find.  It  was 
impossible  for  any  person  to  live  here  unless  he  labored 
hard  and  battled  and  fought  against  the  elements,  but  it 
was  a  first-rate  place  to  raise  Latter-day  Saints,  and  we 
shall  be  blessed  in  living  here,  and  shall  yet  make  it  like  the 
Garden  of  Eden ,  and  the  Lord  Almighty  will  hedge  about 
his  Saints  and  will  defend  and  preserve  them  if  they  will  do 
his  will.  The  only  fear  I  have  is  that  we  will  not  do  light ; 
if  we  do  we  will  be  like  a  city  set  on  a  hill,  our  light  will 
not  be  hid,  14  121. 

In  the  year  1845  I  addressed  letters  to  all  the  Governors 
of  states  and  territories  in  the  Union,  asking  them  for  an 
asylum,  within  their  borders,  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  We 
were  refused  such  privilege,  either  by  silent  contempt  or  a 
flat  denial  m  every  instance  They  all  agreed  that  we  could 
not  come  within  the  Hmi^  of  their  territory  or  state.  Three 
members  of  Congress  came  to  negotiate  with  us  to  leave 
the  confines  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  public  domain 
It  was  understood  that  we  were  going  to  Vancouver  Island , 
but  we  had  our  eye  on  Mexico,  and  here  we  are  located 
in  the  midst  of  what  was  then  northern  Mexico  11-18 

When  we  were  driven  from  Nauvoo,  our  Elders  went 
to  the  east  to  lay  our  case  before  the  judges,  governors,  and 
rulers  of  the  different  states  to  ask  for  an  asylum;  but 
none  was  offered  us.  We  sent  men  through  the  eastern 
country  to  try  and  raise  some  means  for  the  destitute  wo- 
men and  children,  whose  husbands,  fatheis  and  brothers 
had  gone  into  the  Mexican  war  at  the  call  of  the  general 
Government,  leaving  their  wives  and  children  and  aged 
fathers  and  mothers  upon  the  open  prairies  without  home 
or  shelter,  and  the  brethren  who  went  east  haiclly  got 
enough  to  bear  their  expenses.  The  great  men  of  the  na- 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  727 

tion  were  asked  if  they  would  do  anything  for  the  Lord's 
people  No,  not  a  thing  would  they  do,  but  hoped  they 
would  perish  in  the  wilderness  11  17 

When  I  was  written  to  in  Nauvoo  by  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  through  another  person,  inquiring, 
"Where  are  you  going,  Mr  Young?"  I  replied  that  I  did 
not  know  where  we  should  land  We  had  men  in  England 
trying  to  negotiate  for  Vancouver's  Island,  and  we  sent  a 
shipload  of  Saints  round  Cape  Horn  to  California  Men  in 
authority  asked,  "Where  are  you  going  to?"  "We  may  go 
to  California,  or  to  Vancouver's  Island  "  When  the  Pioneer 
company  reached  Green  River,  we  met  Samuel  Brannan 
and  a  few  others  from  California,  and  they  wanted  us  to 
go  there.  I  remarked,  "Let  us  go  to  California,  and  we  can- 
not stay  there  over  five  years ,  but  let  us  stay  in  the  moun- 
tains, and  we  can  raise  our  own  potatoes,  and  eat  them, 
and  I  calculate  to  stay  here  "  We  are  still  on  the  backbone 
of  the  animal,  where  the  bone  and  the  sinew  are,  and  we  in- 
tend to  stay  here,  and  all  hell  cannot  help  themselves. 
5  230-231. 

Mark  our  settlements  for  six  hundred  miles  in  these 
mountains  and  then  mark  the  path  that  we  made  coming 
here,  building  the  bridges  and  making  the  roads  across  the 
prairies,  mountains  and  canyons !  We  came  here  penniless 
in  old  wagons,  our  friends  back  telling  us  to  "take  all  the 
provisions,  you  can,  for  you  can1  get  no  more!  Take  all 
the  seed  gram  you  can,  for  you  can  get  none  there !"  We 
did  this,  and  in  addition  to  all  this  we  have  gathered  all  the 
poor  we  could,  and  the  Lord  has  planted  us  in  these  valleys, 
promising  that  he  would  hide  us  up  for  a  little  season  until 
his  wrath  and  indignation  passed  over  the  nations.  Will  we 
trust  in  the  Lord?  Yes  13216 


728  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

The  Saints  were  poor  when  they  came  into  this  valley, 
twenty-five  years  ago.  They  picked  up  a  few  buckskins, 
antelope  skins,  sheep  skins,  buffalo  skins,  and  made  leggings 
and  moccasins  of  them,  and  wrapped  the  buffalo  robes 
around  them.  Some  had  blankets  and  some  had  not ;  some 
had  shirts,  and  I  guess  some  had  not.  One  man  told  me 
that  he  had  not  a  shirt  for  himself  or  family.  15:158. 

I  will  venture  to  say  that  not  one  of  four  out  of  my 
family  had  shoes  to  their  feet  when  we  came  to  this  valley 
11  288. 

We  printed  the  first  papers,  except  about  two,  set  out  the 
first  orchards,  raised  the  fiist  wheat,  kept  almost  the  first 
schools,  and  made  the  first  improvements  in  our  pioneering, 
in  a  great  measure,  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean ;  and  here  we  got  at  last,  so  as  to  be  out  of  the  way  of 
everybody,  if  possible.  We  thought  we  would  get  as  far1 
as  we  could  from  the  face  of  man ,  we  wanted  to  get  to  a 
strange  land,  like  Abraham,  that  we  might  be  where  we 
should  not  be  continually  wrong  with  somebody  or  other, 
and  have  them  crying,  "Oh,  you  Mormons !"  and  have  the 
priests  preaching,  the  press  printing,  the  drunkard  swearing, 
and  all,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  wishing  these  poor 
"Mormons"  were  out  of  the  way  We  got  out  of  the  way 
as  far  as  we  could ;  and  if  we  can  get  out  of  the  way  any 
farther  and  do  any  good,  we  are  ready  to  get  out  of  the  way  ; 
but  I  think  we  are  as  far  out  of  the  way  as  we  need  to  be; 
and  we  have  got  on  the  highway  which  has  been  cast  up, 
and  I  think  we  had  better  stay  here  14  -208 

Mormon  Battalion— When  we  were  right  in  the  midst  of 
Indians,  who  were  said  to  be  hostile,  five  hundred  men  were 
called  to  go  to  Mexico  to  fight  the  Mexicans,  and,  said  Mr 
Ben  ton — "If  you  do  not  send  them  we  will  cover  you  up, 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  729 

and  there  will  be  no  more  of  you."  I  do  not  want  to  think 
of  these  things,  their  authors  belong  to  the  class  I  referred 
to  yesterday — the  enemies  of  mankind,  those  who  would 
destroy  innocence,  truth,  righteousness  and  the  Kingdom  of 
God  from  the  earth.  We  sent  these  five  hundred  men  to 
fight  the  Mexicans,  and  those  of  us  who  remained  behind 
labored  and  raised  all  that  we  needed  to  feed  ourselves  in 
the  wilderness.  We  had  to  pay  our  own  school  teachers, 
raise  our  own  bread  and  earn  our  own  clothing,  or  go  with- 
out, there  was  no  other  choice.  We  did  it  then,  and  we  are 
able  to  do  the  same  today.  16:19. 

With  regard  to  our  going  into  the  wilderness,  and  our 
there  being  called  upon  to  turn  out  five  hundred  able-bodied 
men  to  go  to  Mexico,  we  had  then  seen  every  religious  and 
political  right  trampled  under  foot  by  mobocrats;  there 
were  none  left  to  defend  our  rights ;  we  were  driven  from 
every  right  which  freemen  ought  to  possess.  In  forming 
that  battalion  of  five  hundred  men,  brother  Kimball  and 
myself  rode  day  and  night,  until  we  had  raised  the  full 
number  of  men  the  Government  called  for.  Captain  Allen 
said  to  me,  using  his  own  words,  "I  have  fallen  in  love  with 
your  people.  I  love  them  as  I  never  loved  a  people  before." 
He  was  a  friend  to  the  uttermost.  When  he  had  marched 
that  Mormon  Battalion  as  far  as  Fort  Leaven  worth,  he  was 
thrown  upon  a  sick  bed  where  I  then  believed,  and  do  now, 
he  was  nursed,  taken  care  of,  and  doctored  to  the  silent 
tomb,  and  the  battalion  went  on  with  God  for  their  friend. 

That  battalion  took  up  their  line  of  march  from  Fort 
Leavenworth  by  way  of  Santa  Fe,  and  over  the  desert  and 
dreary  route,  and  planted  themselves  in  the  lower  part  of 
California,  to  the  joy  of  all  the  officers  and  men  that  were 
loyal.  At  the  time  of  their  arrival,  General  Kearney  was 


730  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

in  a  straitened  position,  and  Colonel  P.  St.  George  Cooke 
promptly  marched  the  battalion  to  his  relief,  and  said  to 
him,  "We  have  the  boys  here  now  that  can  put  all  things 
right"  The  boys  in  that  battalion  performed  their  duty 
faithfully.  I  never  think  of  that  little  company  of  men 
without  the  next  thoughts  being,  "God  bless  them  for  ever 
and  for  ever  "  All  this  we  did  to  prove  to  the  Government 
that  we  were  loyal.  Previous  to  this,  when  we  left  Nauvoo, 
we  knew  that  they  were  going  to  call  upon  us,  and  we  were 
prepared  for  it  in  our  faith  and  in  our  feelings.  I  knew  then 
as  well  as  I  do  now  that  the  Government  would  call  for  a 
battalion  of  men  out  of  that  part  of  Isiael,  to  test  our  loyalty 
to  the  Government  Thomas  H.  Benton,  if  I  have  been 
rightly  informed,  obtained  the  requisition  to  call  for  that 
battalion,  and,  in  case  of  non-compliance  with  that  requisi- 
tion, to  call  on  the  militia  of  Missouri  and  Iowa,  and  other 
states,  if  necessary,  and  to  call  volunteers  from  Illinois,  from 
which  state  we  had  been  driven,  to  destroy  the  camp  of 
Israel.  This  same  Mr  Benton  said  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  in  the  presence  of  some  other  persons,  "Sir, 
they  are  a  pestilential  race,  and  ought  to  become  extinct " 
10,106. 

Have  not  this  people  invariably  evinced  their  friendly 
feelings,  disposition,  and  patriotism  towards  the  Govern- 
ment by  every  act  and  proof  which  can  be  given  by  any 
people? 

Permit  me  to  draw  your  attention,  for  a  moment,  to  a 
few  facts  in  relation  to  raising  the  battalion  for  the  Mex- 
ican war.  When  the  storm  cloud  of  persecution  lowered 
down  upon  us  on  every  side,  when  every  avenue  was  closed 
against  us,  our  leaders  treacherously  betrayed  and  slain 
by  the  authorities  of  the  Government  in  which  we  lived,  and 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  731 

no  hope  of  relief  could  penetrate  through  the  thick  darkness 
and  gloom  which  surrounded  us  on  every  side,  no  voice  was 
raised  in  our  behalf,  and  the  general  Government  was  silent 
to  our  appeals,  When  we  had  been  insulted  and  abused  all 
the  day  long,  by  those  in  authority  requiring  us  to  give  up 
our  arms,  and  by  every  other  act  of  insult  and  abuse  which 
the  prolific  imagination  of  our  enemies  could  devise  to  test, 
as  they  said,  our  patriotism,  which  requisitions,  be  it  known, 
were  always  complied  with  on  our  part ;  and  when  we  were 
finally  compelled  to  flee,  for  the  preservation  of  our  lives 
and  the  lives  of  our  wives  and  children  to  the  wilderness ; 
I  ask,  had  we  not  reason  to  feel  that  our  enemies  were  also 
in  favor  of  our  destruction?  Had  we  not,  I  ask,  some  reason 
to  consider  them  all,  both  in  people  and  the  Government, 
alike  our  enemies? 

And  when,  in  addition  to  all  this,  and  while  fleeing  from 
our  enemies,  another  test  of  fidelity  and  patriotism  was  con- 
trived by  them  for  our  destruction,  and  acquiesced  in  by  the 
Government  (through  the  agency  of  a  distinguished  poli- 
tician who  evidently  sought,  and  thought  he  had  planned, 
our  overthrow  and  total  annihilation)  consisting  of  a  re- 
quisition from  the  war  department,  to  furnish  a  battalion  of 
five  hundred  men  to  fight  under  their  officers,  and  for  them, 
in  the  war  then  existing  with  Mexico,  I  ask  again,  could  we 
refrain  from  considering  both  people  and  Government  our 
most  deadly  foes  ?  Look  a  moment  at  our  situation,  and  the 
circumstances  under  which  this  requisition  was  made.  We 
were  migrating,  we  knew  not  whither,  except  that  it  was 
our  intention  to  go  beyond  the  reach  of  our  enemies-  We 
had  no  home,  save  our  wagons  and  tents,  and  no  stores  of 
provisions  and  clothing ;  but  had  to  earn  our  daily  bread  by 
leaving  our  families  in  isolated  locations  for  safety,  and 


732  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

going  among  our  enemies  to  labor.  Were  we  not,  even 
befoie  this  cruel  requisition  was  made,  unmercifully  borne 
down  by  oppression  and  persecution  past  endurance  by  any 
other  community?  But  under  these  trying  circumstances 
we  were  required  to  turn  out  of  our  travelling  camps  five 
hundred  of  our  most  efficient  men,  leaving  the  old,  the 
young,  the  women  upon  the  hands  of  the  residue,  to  take 
care  of  and  support ,  and  in  case  we  refused  to  comply  with 
so  unreasonable  a  requirement,  we  were  to  be  deemed 
enemies  to  the  Government,  and  fit  only  for  the  slaughter 
Look  also  at  the  proportion  of  the  number  required  of 
us,  compared  with  that  of  any  other  portion  of  the  Republic 
A  requisition  of  only  thirty  thousand  from  a  population  of 
more  than  twenty  millions  was  all  that  was  wanted,  and 
more  than  was  furnished,  amounting  to  only  one  person 
and  a  half  to  a  thousand  inhabitants.  If  all  other  circum- 
stances had  been  equal,  if  we  could  have  left  our  families 
in  the  enjoyment  of  peace,  quietness,  and  security  in  the 
houses  from  which  we  had  been  driven,  our  quota  of  an 
equitable  requisition  would  not  have  exceeded  four  persons 
Instead  of  this,  five  hundred  must  go,  thirteen  thousand  per 
cent  above  an  equal  ratio,  even  if  all  other  things  had  been 
equal,  but  under  the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  it  was 
made  comparison  fails  to  demonstrate,  and  reason  itself 
totters  beneath  its  enormity.  And  for  whom  were  we  to 
fight?  As  I  have  already  shown,  for  those  that  we  had  every 
reason  to  believe  were  our  most  deadly  foes.  Could  the 
Government  have  expected  our  compliance  therewith?  Did 
they  expect  it?  Did  not  our  enemies  believe  that  we 
would  spurn,  with  becoming  resentment  and  indigna- 
tion, such  an  unhallowed  proposition?  And  were  they 
not  prepared  to  make  our  rejection  of  it  a  pretext 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  TEE  WEST  733 

to  inflame  the  Government  still  more  against  us, 
and  thereby  accomplish  their  hellish  purposes  upon  an 
innocent  people,  in  their  utter  extinction?  And  how  was 
this  proposition  received,  and  how  was  it  responded  to  by 
this  people?  I  went  myself,  in  company  with  a  few  of  my 
brethren,  between  one  and  two  hundred  miles  along  the 
several  routes  of  travel,  stopping  at  every  little  camp,  using 
our  influence  to  obtain  volunteers,  and  on  the  day  appointed 
for  the  rendezvous  the  required  complement  was  made  up ; 
and  this  was  all  accomplished  in  about  twenty  days  from 
the  time  that  the  requisition  was  made  known. 

Our  battalion  went  to  the  scene  of  action,  not  in  easy 
berths  on  steam-boats,  nor  with  a  few  months'  absence,  but 
on  foot  over  two  thousand  miles  across  trackless  deserts  and 
barren  plains,  experiencing  every  degree  of  privation,  hard- 
ship, and  suffering  during  some  two  years'  absence  before 
they  could  rejoin  their  families.  Thus  was  our  deliverance 
again  affected  by  the  interposition  of  that  All-wise  Being 
who  can  discern  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  overrule 
the  wicked  intentions  of  men  to  promote  the  advancement  of 
his  cause  upon  the  earth.  Thus  were  we  saved  from  our 
enemies  by  complying  with  their,  as  hitherto,  unjust  and 
unparalleled  exactions;  again  proving  our  loyalty  to  the 
Government. 

Here  permit  me  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Captain  Allen,  the  bearer  of  this  requisition  from  the 
Government.  He  was  a  gentleman  full  of  humane  feelings, 
and,  had  he  been  spared,  would  have  smoothed  the  path, 
and  made  easy  the  performance  of  this  duty,  so  far  as  laid 
in  his  power.  His  heart  was  wrung  with  sympathy  when  he 
saw  our  situation,  and  filled  with  wonder  when  he  witnessed 
the  enthusiastic  patriotism  and  ardor  which  so 


734  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

promptly  complied  with  his  requirement,  again  prov- 
ing, as  we  had  hundreds  of  times  before  proved, 
by  our  acts,  that  we  were  belied  by  our  enemies, 
and  that  we  were  as  ready,  and  even  more  so  than  any 
other  inhabitants  of  the  Republic,  to  shoulder  the  musket, 
and  go  forth  to  fight  the  battles  of  our  common  country,  or 
stand  in  her  defense.  History  furnishes  no  parallel,  either 
of  the  severity  or  injustice  of  the  demand,  or  in  the  alacrity, 
faithfulness,  and  patriotism  with  which  it  was  answered  and 
complied.  Thus  can  we  cite  instance  after  instance  of  per- 
sons holding  legal  authority,  being  moved  upon,  through  the 
misrepresentation  and  influence  of  our  enemies  to  insult  us 
as  a  people,  by  requiring  a  test  of  our  patriotism  How  long 
must  this  state  of  things  continue?  So  long  as  the  people 
choose  to  remain  m  wilful  ignorance  with  regard  to  us ;  so 
long  as  they  choose  to  misinterpret  our  views,  misrepresent 
our  feelings,  and  misunderstand  our  policy.  2.173 

We  made  and  broke  the  road  from  Nauvoo  to  this  place. 
Some  of  the  time  we  followed  Indian  trails,  some 
of  the  time  we  ran  by  the  compass,  when  we  left  the 
Missouri  river  we  followed  the  Platte.  And  we  killed  rattle- 
snakes by  the  cord  in  some  places,  and  made  roads  and 
built  bridges  till  our  backs  ached.  Where  we  could  not 
build  bridges  across  rivers,  we  ferried  our  people  across, 
until  we  arrived  here,  where  we  found  a  few  naked  Indians, 
a  few  wolves  and  rabbits,  and  any  amount  of  crickets ,  but 
as  for  a  green  tree  or  a  fruit  tree,  or  any  green  field,  we 
found  nothing  of  the  kind,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
cottonwoods  and  willows  on  the  edge  of  City  Creek  Fur 
some  1200  or  1300  miles  we  carried  every  particle  of  pro- 
vision we  had  when  we  arrived  here.  When  we  left  our 
homes  we  picked  up  what  the  mob  did  not  steal  of  our 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  735 

horses,  oxen  and  calves,  and  some  women  drove  their  own 
teams  here  Instead  of  365  pounds  of  breadstuff  when 
they  started  from  the  Missoun  river,  there  was  not  half  of 
them  had  half  of  it  We  had  to  bring  our  seed  grain,  our 
farming  utensils,  bureaus,  secretaries,  sideboards,  sofas, 
pianos,  large  looking  glasses,  fine  chairs,  carpets,  nice 
shovels  and  tongs,  and  other  fine  furniture,  with  all  the 
parlor,  cook  stoves,  etc,,  and  we  had  to  bring  these  things 
piled  together  with  some  women  and  children,  belter  skelt- 
er, topsy  turvy,  with  broken  down  horses,  ring-boned, 
spavined,  pole  evil,  fistula  and  hipped ,  oxen  with  three  legs, 
and  cows  with  one  teat.  This  was  our  only  means  of  trans- 
portation, and  if  we  had  not  brought  our  goods  in  this  man- 
ner we  would  not  have  had  them,  for  there  was  nothing 
here  You  may  say  this  is  a  burlesque.  Well,  I  mean  it  as 
such,  for  we,  comparatively  speaking,  really  came  here 
naked  and  barefoot  12  286-287 

Settlement  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley— In  the  days 
of  Joseph  we  have  sat  many  hours  at  a  time  conversing 
about  this  very  country.  Joseph  has  often  said,  "If  I  were 
only  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  with  a  hundred  faithful  men, 
I  would  then  be  happy,  and  ask  no  odds  of  mobocrats," 
1M6. 

I  do  not  wish  men  to  understand  I  had  anything  to  do 
with  our  being  moved  here,  that  was  the  providence  of  the 
Almighty ,  it  was  the  power  of  God  that  wrought  out  salva- 
tion for  this  people,  I  never  could  have  devised  such  a 
plan.  441 

I  did  not  devise  the  great  scheme  of  the  Lord's  opening 
the  way  to  send  this  people  to  these  mountains.  Joseph 
contemplated  the  move  for  years  before  it  took  place,  but 
he  could  not  get  here,  for  there  was  a  watch  placed  upon 


736  DISCOURSES  OF  3RIGHAM  YOUNG 

him  continually  to  see  that  he  had  no  communication  with 
the  Indians.  This  was  in  consequence  of  that  which  is 
written  in  the  Book  of  Mormon ;  one  of  the  fiist  evils  alleged 
against  him  was  that  he  was  going  to  connive  with  the  In- 
dians ;  but  did  he  ever  do  anything  of  the  kind?  No,  he  al- 
ways strove  to  promote  the  best  interest  of  all,  both  red 
and  white  Was  it  by  any  act  of  ours  that  this  people  were 
driven  into  their  midst?  We  are  now  their  neighbors,  we 
are  on  their  land,  for  it  belongs  to  them  as  much  as  any  soil 
ever  belonged  to  any  man  on  earth ;  we  are  drinking  their 
water,  using  their  fuel  and  timber,  and  raising  our  food 
from  their  ground.  4  41. 

We  have  faith,  we  live  by  faith;  we  came  to  these  moun- 
tains by  faith.  We  came  here,  I  often  say,  though  to  the 
ears  of  some  the  expression  may  sound  rather  rude,  naked 
and  barefoot,  and  comparatively  this  is  true  13  "172. 

We  had  to  have  faith  to  come  here  When  we  met  Mr. 
Bridger  on  the  Big  Sandy  River,  said  he,  "Mr,  Young,  I 
would  give  a  thousand  dollars  if  I  knew  an  ear  of  corn  could 
be  ripened  in  the  Great  Basin."  Said  I,  "Wait  eighteen 
months  and  I  will  show  you  many  of  them  "  Did  I  say  this 
from  knowledge?  No,  it  was  my  faith,  but  we  had  not  the 
least  encouragement — from  natural  reasoning  and  all  that 
we  could  learn  of  this  country — of  its  sterility,  its  cold  and 
frost,  to  believe  that  we  could  ever  raise  anything  But  we 
travelled  on,  breaking  the  road  through  the  mountains  and 
building  bridges  until  we  arrived  here,  and  then  we  did 
everything  we  could  to  sustain  ourselves,  We  had  faith 
that  we  could  raise  grain ;  was  there  any  harm  in  this?  Not 
at  all.  If  we  had  not  had  faith,  what  would  have  become 
of  us?  We  would  have  gone  down  in  unbelief,  have  closed 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  737 

up  every  resource  for  our  sustenance  and  should  never  have 
raised  anything.  13.173. 

I  cannot  help  being  here.  We  might  have  gone  to  Van- 
couver's Island;  and  if  we  had,  we  should  probably  have 
been  driven  away  or  used  up  before  this  time.  But  here 
we  are  in  the  valleys  of  the  mountains,  where  the  Lord 
directed  me  to  lead  the  people.  The  brethren  who  are  in 
foreign  countries  desire  to  gather  to  the  gathering-place  of 
the  Saints,  and  they  have  for  the  present  to  come  to  Great 
Salt  Lake  City.  They  cannot  help  that.  Why  did  we  not 
gojto  San  Francisco?  Because  the  Lord  told  me  not:  "For 
there  are  lions  in  the  way,  and  they  will  devour  the  lambs, 
if  you  take  them  there."  What  now  can  we  do?  Why, 
instead  of  being  merchants,  instead  of  going  to  St.  Louis  to 
buy  goods,  we  can  go  down  to  our  Dixie  land,  the  southern 
part  of  our  Territory,  and  raise  cotton  and  manufacture 
goods  for  ourselves.  9-105. 

A  great  many  wanted  to  go  to  the  Gila  River ;  that  was 
proposed  when  we  first  came  to  this  valley.  It  was  said  to 
be  a  lovely  country,  and  that  men  could  live  there  almost 
without  labor.  What  if  we  had  gone  there?  You  see  what 
has  followed  us  here ;  but  what  would  have  been  the  result, 
if  we  had  gone  there  ?  Long  before  this  time  we  would  have 
b<;en  outnumbered  by  our  enemies;  there  would  have  been 
more  against  us  than  for  us  in  our  community.  Suppose  we 
had  gone  to  Texas,  where  Lyman  Wight  went?  He  tried 
to  make  all  the  Saints  believe  that  Joseph  wanted  to  take 
the  whole  Church  there.  Long  before  this,  we  would  have 
been  killed,  or  compelled  to  leave  the  country.  We  could 
not  have  lived  there.  4 :344. 

We  came  to  these  mountains  because  we  had  no  other 
place  to  go  to  We  had  to  leave  our  homes  and  possessions 


738  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

on  tne  fertile  lands  of  Illinois  to  make  our  dwelling  places  in 
these  desert  wilds,  on  barren,  sterile  plains  amid  lofty, 
rugged  mountains.  None  dare  come  here  to  live  until  we 
came  here,  and  we  now  find  it  to  be  one  of  the  best  coun- 
tries in  the  world  for  us  10*223, 

Five  years  ago  we  were  menaced  on  every  side  by  the 
cruel  persecutions  of  our  inveterate  enemies,  hundreds  of 
families,  who  had  been  forced  from  their  homes,  and  com- 
pelled to  leave  behind  them  their  all,  were  wandering  as 
exiles  in  a  state  of  abject  destitution ;  but,  by  the  favor  of 
heaven,  we  have  been  enabled  to  surmount  all  these  dif- 
ficulties, and  can  assemble  here  today  in  the  chamber  of 
these  mountains,  where  there  are  none*  to  make  us  afraid, 
far  from  our  persecutors,  far  from  the  turmoil  and  confu- 
sion of  the  old  world.  1 .376, 

Seven  years  ago  tomorrow,  about  eleven  o'clock,  I 
crossed  the  Mississippi  River,  with  my  brethren,  for  this 
place,  not  knowing,  at  that  time,  whither  we  were  going, 
but  firmly  believing  that  the  Lord  had  in  reserve  for  us  a 
good  place  in  the  mountains,  and  that  he  would  lead  us  di- 
rectly to  it,  It  is  but  seven  years  since  we  left  Nauvoo,  and 
we  are  now  ready  to  build  another  temple  I  look  back 
upon  our  labors  with  pleasure  Here  are  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  people  that  have  not  had  the  privileges  that 
some  of  us  have  had.  Do  you  ask,  what  privileges  >  Why, 
of  running  the  gauntlet,  of  passing  through  the  narrows. 
They  have  not  had  the  privilege  of  being  robbed  and 
plundered  of  their  property,  of  being  in  the  midst  of  mobs 
and  death,  as  many  of  us  have.  1 .279 

When  the  pioneers  came  into  these  valleys  we  knew 
nearly  all  the  families  which  composed  the  settlements  iu 
Upper  and  Lower  California.  10:189. 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  739 

The  most  of  the  people  called  Latter-day  Saints  have 
been  taken  from  the  rural  and  manufacturing  districts  of 
this  and  the  old  countries,  and  they  belonged  to 
the  pooiest  of  the  poor  Many  of  them,  I  may 
say  the  great  majority,  never  had  anything  around 
them  to  make  life  very  desirable,  they  have  been 
acquainted  with  poverty  and  wretchedness,  hence 
it  cannot  be  expected  that  they  should  manifest  that  refine- 
ment and  culture  prevalent  among  the  rich  Many  and 
many  a  man  here,  who  is  now  able  to  ride  in  his  wagon  and 
perhaps  in  his  carriage,  for  years  before  he  started  for  Zion 
never  saw  daylight  His  days  were  spent  in  the  coal  mines, 
and  his  daily  toil  would  commence  before  light  in  the  morn- 
ing and  continue  until  after  dark  at  night.  Now  what  can 
be  expected  from  a  community  so  many  of  whose  members 
have  been  brought  up«like  this,  or  if  not  just  like  this,  still 
under  circumstances  of  poverty  and  privation?  Certainly 
not  what  we  might  expect  from  those  reared  under  more 
favorable  circumstances.  But  I  will  tell  you  what  we  have 
in  our  mind's  eye  with  regard  to  these  very  people,  and 
what  we  are  trying  to  make  of  them.  We  take  the  poorest 
we  can  find  on  earth  who  will  receive  the  truth,  and  we  are 
trying  to  make  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  them  We  are  try- 
ing to  educate  them,  to  school  their  children,  and  to  so  tram 
them  that  they  may  be  able  to  gather  around  them  the 
comforts  of  life,  that  they  may  pass  their  lives  as  the  human 
family  should  do— that  their  days,  weeks,  and  months  may 
be  pleasant  to  them  We  prove  that  this  is  our  design,  foi 
the  result,  to  some  extent,  is  already  before  us  14-103 

Talk  about  these  rich  valleys,  why  there  is  not  another 
people  on  the  earth  that  could  have  come  here  and  lived. 
We  prayed  over  the  land,  and  dedicated  it  and  the  water, 


740  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGHAM  YOUNG 

air  and  everything  pertaining  to  them  unto  the  Lord,  and 
the  smiles  of  heaven  rested  on  the  land  and  it  became  pro- 
ductive, and  today  yields  us  the  best  of  gram,  fruit  and 
vegetables  12-288. 

There  never  has  been  a  land,  from  the  days  of  Adam 
until  now,  that  has  been  blessed  more  than  this  land  has 
been  blessed  by  our  Father  in  Heaven ;  and  it  will  still  be 
blessed  more  and  more,  if  we  are  faithful  and  humble,  and 
thankful  to  God  for  the  wheat  and  the  coin,  the  oats,  the 
fruit,  the  vegetables,  the  cattle  and  eveiything  he  bestows 
upon  us,  and  try  to  use  them  for  the  building  up  of  his 
Kingdom  on  the  earth.  10*35. 

You  inquire  if  we  shall  stay  in  these  mountains  I  an- 
swer yes,  as  long  as  we  please  to  do  the  will  of  God,  our 
Father  in  Heaven.  If  we  are  pleased  to  turn  away  from  the 
holy  commandments  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  ancient 
Israel  did,  every  man  turning  to  his  own  way,  we  shall  be 
scattered  and  peeled,  driven  before  our  enemies  and  perse- 
cuted, until  we  learn  to  remembci  the  Lord  our  God  and 
are  willing  to  walk  in  his  ways  1 1  274 

Many  may  inquire,  "How  long  shall  we  stay  here?"  We 
shall  stay  here  just  as  long  as  we  ought  to  "Shall  we  be 
driven,  when  we  go?"  If  we  will  so  live  as  to  be  satisfied 
with  oui selves,  and  will  not  drive  ourselves  from  our  homes, 
we  shall  never  be  driven  from  them  Seek  for  the  best 
wisdom  you  can  obtain,  learn  how  to  apjply  your  labor,  build 
good  houses,  make  fine  farms,  set  out  apple,  pear,  and  other 
fruit  trees  that  will  flourish  here,  also  the  mountain  currant 
and  raspberry  bushes,  plant  strawberry  beds,  and  build  up 
and  adorn  a  beautiful  city.  The  question  now  arises — "Do 
you  think  it  best  for  us  to  live  in  cities?"  Lay  out  your 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  741 

cities,  but  not  so  large  that  you  cannot  readily  raise  the 
whole  city,  should  an  enemy  come  upon  you.    8:288. 

I  do  not  know  that  I  have  prayed  for  rain  since  I  have 
been  in  these  valleys  until  this  year,  during  which  I  believe 
that  I  have  prayed  two  or  three  times  for  rain,  and  then 
with  a  faint  heart,  for  there  is  plenty  of  water  flowing  down 
these  canyons  in  crystal  streams  as  pure  as  the  breezes  of 
Zion,  and  it  is  our  business  to  use  them.  3:331. 

When  water  is  brought  to  the  termination  of  the  canal, 
which  we  can  accomplish  in  a  few  days,  I  presume  that  the 
reservoirs  on  the  line  of  the  work  and  those  portions  which 
are  excavated  in  full  will  contain  water  enough  to  allow  the 
people  to  irrigate  when  necessary,  and  thus  do  away  with 
the  practice  of  watering  only  two  hours  a  week  on  a  city  lot, 
and  much  of  that  to  be  done  in  the  night.  And  that  is  not 
all,  for  by  the  time  the  water  is  fairly  on  a  lot  it  is  taken  by' 
the  next  person  whose  right  it  is  to  use  it.  And  lots  which 
have  had  thousands  of  dollars  expended  on  them,  and  which 
would  yield  more  than  a  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  fruit 
and  vegetables,  could  they  be  properly  irrigated,  are  only 
allowed  a  small  stream  of  water  for  two  hours  once  a  week, 
and  at  the  same  time  an  adjoining  lot  planted  with  corn,  the 
hills  six  feet  apart  and  one  stalk  in  a  hill,  comparatively 
speaking,  the  balance  of  the  ground  being  covered  with 
weeds,  is  allotted  the  same  time  and  amount  of  water  as  the 
one  on  which  the  fruit  trees  and  other  choice  vegetation  are 
worth  thousands  of  dollars. 

There  ought  to  be  a  reformation  in  the  distribution  of 
the  water.  The  man  who  will  not  raise  five  dollars'  worth 
of  produce  on  his  lot,  has  the  same  water  privilege  as  the 
man  who  could  raise  a  thousand  dollars'  worth.  For  in- 
stance, brother  Staines  gets  the  water  for  two  hours  in  a 


%2  DISCOURSES  OF  BRIGEAM  YOUNG 

week,  and  what  are  his  fruit  trees  worth?  He  could  make  his 
thousand  dollars  a  year  from  them,  if  he  were  disposed  to 
sell  the  fruit  instead  of  giving  it  away,  could  he  have  a  fair 
portion  of  water,  I  have  a  lot  just  below  him  well  culti- 
vated m  fruit  trees,  a  nursery,  and  choice  vegetables,  I  also 
can  only  have  the  water  on  my  lot  for  two  hours  m  a  week , 
when  lots  nearby  with  but  little  on  them  except  weeds, 
get  the  same  water  privilege,  and  that  too  in  the  day  time, 
while  we  have  to  use  it  in  the  night  Water  masters  ought 
to  look  to  this  matter,  until  they  have  arranged  a  more  just 
distribution  3  "329 

The  river  Jordan  will  be  brought  out  and  made  to  flow 
through  a  substantial  canal  to  Great  Salt  Lake  City,  When 
this  is  done,  it  will  not  only  serve  as  a  means  of  irrigating, 
but  it  will  form  a  means  of  transportation  from  the  south 
end  of  Utah  Lake  to  Great  Salt  Lake  City.  11 .116. 

As  soon  as  that  is  completed  from  big  Cottonwood  to 
this  city,  we  expect  to  make  a  canal  on  the  west  side  of 
Jordan,  and  take  its  water  along  the  east  base  of  the  west 
mountains,  as  there  is  moie  farming  land  on  the  west  side 
of  that  river  than  on  the  east.  When  that  work  is  accomp- 
lished we  shall  continue  our  exertions,  until  Provo  river 
runs  to  this  city.  We  intend  to  bring  it  around  the  point 
of  the  mountain  to  Little  Cottonwood,  from  that  to  Big 
Cottonwood,  and  lead  its  waters  upon  all  the  land  from 
Provo  canyon  to  this  city,  for  there  is  more  water  runs  in 
that  stream  alone  than  would  be  needed  for  that  purpose 
3-329. 

UntiPthe  Latter-day  Saints  came  here,  not  a  person 
among  all  the  mountaineers  and  those  who  had  traveled 
here,  so  far  as  we  could  learn,  believed  that  an  ear  of  corn 
would  ripen  in  these  valleys  We  know  that  corn  and 


THE  SETTLEMENT  IN  THE  WEST  743 

wheat  produce  abundantly  here,  and  we  know  that  we  have 
an  excellent  region  wherein  to  raise  cattle,  horses,  and 
every  other  kind  of  domestic  animal  that  we  need.  We 
also  knew  this  when  we  came  here  thirteen  years  ago  thib 
summer.  Bridger  said  to  me,  "Mr.  Young,  I  would  give  a 
thousand  dollars,  if  I  knew  that  an  ear  of  corn  could  be 
ripened  in  these  mountains.  I  have  been  here  twenty  years, 
and  have  tried  it  in  vain,  over  and  over  again."  I  told  him 
if  he  would  wait  a  year  or  two  we  would  show  him  what 
could  be  done.  A  man  named  Wells,  living  with  Miles 
Goodyear,  where  now  is  Ogden  City,  had  a  few  beans  grow- 
ing, and  carried  water  from  the- river  in  a  pail  to  irrigate 
them.  8  288. 


INDEX 


Aaron,  222,  literal  descendant  of, 

onn  * 

&ii&, 

Aarouic  Priesthood,  conferred  by 
John  the  Baptist,  220;  Bishop 
head  of,  222,  Aaron  held,  222 

Abraham,  161,  received  Priest- 
hood, 162. 

Accountants,  ladles  can  learn  to 
be,  337. 

Acts,  more  essential  than  words, 
510. 

Adam,  greatest  desire  of,  94;  re- 
ceives the  gospel.  159,  creation 
of,  160. 

Administering:  to  the  sick,  252; 
duty  of  fathers  in,  252,  reme- 
dies should  be  applied  before, 
353,  can  be  done  by  mothers, 
328 

Administrators  of  Law,  opposed 
to  the  coirupt,  555,  556. 

Agency,  Ftec,  see  Free  Agency, 

Agriculture,  more  lands  must  be 
brought  into  cultivation,  455, 
canals  built,  455,  redeem  lands 
which  now  he  in  waste,  455, 
prepare  children  for,  455,  culti- 
vate your  farm  and  gardens, 
456,  plant  orchards  and  vine- 
yards, 456;  produce  that  which 
can  be  used  for  food  of  man, 
456;  part  of  our  religion,  509 
See  also  under  cotton,  flax,  in- 
digo, silk,  sugar,  wheat, 

Allen,  Captain,  friend  to  the 
Saints,  729,  733 j  death  of,  729. 

Angel,  duty  of,  63,  difference  be- 
tween, and  Saints,  64. 

Anger,  pray  when  in,  70;  check 
your  words  of,  412;  never 
speak  evil  when  in,  412,  no 
man  possessing  wisdom  will 
give  vent  to,  413,  cease  your, 
413;  wicked,  414;  righteous, 
414;  not  to  rise  in  our  bosom, 
315, 

Annihilation,  no  such  thing  as, 
73, 

Anointing  thf  sick  with  oil,  252. 

Apostasy,  ISC,  132;  the,  163. 

Apostates,  condition  of,  130. 

Apostles,  priesthood  of,  207;  hold 
keys  of  Priesthood,  211,  218;  to 
be  in  Church  of  Christ,  211; 
calling  of  an  tt6,  obedience  of, 
testified  to  >.y  President 


Young,  216;  called  from  mem- 
bers of  Zion's  Camp,  219,  can 
be  brought  before  Bishop,  223; 
to  do  work  set  them,  230,  what 
makes  them  special  witnesses, 
527. 

Ark  of  Covenant,  sacredness  of, 
G33;  place  of  Its  keeping,  634. 

Astrology,  115. 

Atonement,  42. 

B 

Babylon,  what  is,  491. 

Baptism,  by  immersion,  245;  not 
necessary  for  infants,  245,  has 
been  a  law  to  all  worlds,  246; 
for  all  who  apply,  501,  a  tem- 
poral act,  704. 

Baptists,  9. 

Baptize,  you'  have  not  power  to, 
yourselves,  248,  who  can  le- 
gally, 248. 

Beautify,  build  beautiful  cities, 
465,  your  gardens,  465,  and 
make  your  mountain  homes  a 
paradise,  465;  and  plant  shade 
trees  along  the  boulevards, 
465,  by  cultivating  flowers  and 
shrubbery,  465 

Begging,  if  Saints  will  feed  poor 
willingly,  their  children  will 
not  be  found,  336. 

Beaton,  Thomas  H.,  attitude  of, 
toward  Saints,  730. 

Bible,  Gospel  doctrine  in,  9; 
words  of  life  in,  191,  Saints  be- 
lievers in,  191;  is  true,  191; 
Gospel  contained  in,  192;  to  be 
voted  out  of  Christian  world, 
193,  guide  of  Saints,  193,  Saints 
preach  doctrine  of,  194;  words 
of,  not  to  be  wrested,  194, 
standard  work  of  Churck,  195, 
what  infidel  world  says  about, 
196,  pJainess  of,  198,  language 
of,  199 

Big  Cottonwood,  a  canal  to  be 
built  from,  742. 

Big  Mountain,  725. 

Birth  Control,  305 

Bishop,  should  be  filled  with 
power  of  Holy  Ghost,  206;  of- 
fice of,  belongs  to  Aaronic 

i  Priesthood,  217,  222;  rights  of 
a,  222,  223;  not  called  to  travel 
abroad,  223;  to  act  as  Judge, 
223;  and  members  of  ward,  223 


746 


INDEX 


to  be  a  married  man,  223,  to  be 
perfect  example,  224,  duties  of 
a,  224,  226,  to  be  prayed  for, 
225,  counselors  of,  to  be  ex- 
amples, 226 

Blessing*,  porportioned  to  ca- 
pacity, 146 ,  my  heart  is  full  of, 
350 

Blessed,  are  they  who  obey  di- 
rect commandment,  340,  more, 
are  they  who  obey  without  di- 
rect commandment,  340 

Bodies,  will  be  resurrected,  570 

Body,  importance  of,  87,  returns 
to  Mother  Earth,  564,  the  res- 
urrected, 573,  574 

Bookkeepers,  ladies  can  learn  to 
be,  337 

Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants, 
18 

Book  of  Mormon,  167,  printed  in 
March,  1830,  722 

Boynton,  John  F »  704. 

Briber,  Jiin,  President  Young's 
statement  concerning  corn  to, 

Business,  ladies  can  conduct,  337 
C 

Cahoon,  Reynolds,  one  of  first 
High  Priests,  220,  221 

Cain,  1GO 

Campbell,  Alexander,  707 

Cana  of  Galilee,  miracle  per- 
formed at,  522,  523 

Canal,  to  be  from  Big  Cotton- 
wood  to  Salt  Lake  City,  742,  to 
be  built  on  ^est  side  of  Jordan, 
742 

Capacity,  blessings  proportioned 
to,  14G 

Capitalists,  need  your  labor,  462, 
honorable  men,  462,  want  to 
malie  money,  462,  build  tip 
your  farms  with  earnings 
from,  462,  should  bring  price 
of  labor  to  a  reasonable  stan- 
dard, 463,  should  create  busi- 
ness, 464,  do  not  oppress  the 
poor,  465 

Capital  Stock,  is  time,  330 

Carpentry,  how  to  teach  to  chil- 
dren, 325 

Carthage,  TV  here  Joseph  and  Hy- 
nini  were  martyrad,  724 

Catholics,    15 

Celestial  beings,  150 

Celestial  kingdom,  who  entev, 
586,  whole  God  and  Chnst 
dwell,  594,  highest  of  all,  598, 
600,  men  to  obtain,  must  bat- 
tle, 600. 


Celestial  world,  150 

Center  Stake  of  Zion,  174 

Centurion's  Servant,  healing  of, 
no  mnacle,  524 

Character,  of  Saints  traduced, 
532 

ChaiitT,  show,  420,  only  a  few 
men  understand,  420,  we 
should  have,  420,  will  extend, 
421,  of  God,  421,  administer 
chantable  gifts,  422,  tiue 
gentleman  possesses.  429,  Lord 
will  bless  the  people  that  is 
full  of,  432 

Chastened,  Saints  will  be,  349, 
we  will  be,  if  we  neglect  our 
duty,  350. 

Cheating,  men  must  quit,  351 

Child,  training,   guide   to,   323 

Children,  duties  of,  313,  314,  how 
and  what  to  teach,  320,  321, 
322,  Gospel  to  be  taught  to, 
320,  when  and  how  bound  up 
to  parents,  322 

Children  of  Israel,  more  rebel- 
lious than  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  351,  goveinment  of,  a 
theocracy,  544 

Church  of  England.  9 

Church  of  Jesns  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  is  the  Church,  11, 
has  Gospel  of  life  and  salva- 
tion, 11,  how  guided,  C3,  God 
is  at  the  helm  of,  132,  warfare 
against,  171,  led  by  Lord  Al- 
mighty, 212,  who  can  organi/e, 
214,  government  of,  227,  to  be 
a  theociatic  government,  227, 
how  to  become  members  of, 
236 

Church  of  God,  definition  of,  and 
kingdom,  670,  object  of,  671,  to 
develop  giadually,  672,  effect 
of,  673,  filthy  cannot  enter,  674, 
government  of,  674,  will  con- 
tinue, 676,  Jehovah  head  of, 
678,  business  of,  678,  679,  in- 
dividual la'bor  required  in,  679, 
Is  of  real  worth,  680,  give  best 
you  have  to,  681 

CZty  Creek,  two  forks  of,  725, 
e.imp  made  on,  725. 

Ciiy  of  Zion,  beauty  of,  184,  New 
Jerusalem  to  be,  185 

Civil  War,  forebodings  of  the, 
560 

Cleanliness,  to  be  taught  to  chil- 
dren, 320 

Close  Communion  Baptists,  707 

Clothing,  proper  care  of,  825 

Columbus,  inspired,  551. 


INDEX 


747 


Condemnation,  upon  parents,  if 
they  do  not  properly  teach 
th on  childien,  320 

CongicsNiueii,  desued  Saints  to 
leave  United  States,  724,  727 

Commandments  nono  to  be  dis- 
pensed Tiuth,  341,  thj  keeping 
of,  3-1 J,  none  of,  lend  to  tvil, 
342,  given  for  our  benefit,  34G 

Commerce,  -ue  must  command, 
461,  unless  we  can  comnmnd, 
better  without  it,  4GI,  railroad 
will  furnish  us  a  m.nket  for 
our,  461 

Common  Consent,  how  to  vote  by, 
229,  authorities  sustained  by, 
22") 

Compassion,  let  us  have,  418 

Communication  between  God  and 
man,  49. 

Confess  mns  to  those  sinned 
agnmst,  31 G 

Confusion  of  sin,  when  and  how 
lo  be  made,  244,  245,  31G 

Confidence,  to  be  established  be- 
tween each  other,  315,  estab- 
lished, 433  cherish  423,  ^ant 
of,  423,  if  -we  lack,  423,  un- 
shaken, 423  faith  and,  424,  in 
each  othei,  424,  if  we  wish  to 
establish,  424,  if,  has  been  lost, 
424,  let  us  live  to  create,  424, 
treasure  nn  each  particle  of, 
424,  in  my  neighbor,  425, 
restore,  425 

Confounded,  Saints  will  not  be, 
if  they  live  their  religion,  347, 

Confusion  of  last  rtav«,  170 

Consistency  nnd  Sincerity,  prac- 
tice what  we  teach,  360,  thon 
art  the  fairest  lewels  in  the 
life  of  a  saint,  380,  flatter  not 
the  people  in  their  iniquity, 
but  chasten  thorn  for  their 
wickedness,  361,  our  religion 
must  last  fiom  Monday  morn- 
ing till  Monday  rooming,  3C1 

Constitution  of  the  United  State*? 
nn  inspired  document,  550,  is 
theocratic  544,  will  yet  be 
saved  by  the  Saints,  553,  Saints 
opposed  to  corrupt  admims- 
tintois  of  the,  556 

Contention,  between  Christ  and 
Belial,  117,  how  to  prevent 
among  children,  324,  avoid,  425, 
a  disgrace,  425,  frequently 
arises,  42G,  take  measures  to 
prevent,  427 

Control,  of  a  per^le,  348,  of  self 
necessary,  407,  dutj  of  Elders 
to,  themselves,  408,  let  every 


man  b©  the  master  of  himself, 
408,  appetites  must  be  brought 
in  subjection  to  spirit  that  lives 
\vithm,  409,  subdue  our  own 
passions,  410 

Cooke,  Col.  P.  St.  George,  leader 
of  Mormon  Battalion,  730 

Co-operation,    be    of    one    heart, 

433,  become  one  as  the  Father 
and   Son   are  one,    433,   peifect 
union,    434,    unity    of   purpose, 

434,  Church  can  not  oxist  and 
be    diiided,     434,     is     stepping 
stone  to   Order  of  Enoch,  442, 
become  one  in  temporal  things, 
445. 

Corn,  conversation  about,  be- 
tween President  Toung  and 
Jim  Bridger,  736,  743 

Cotton,  raise,  453 

Conucil  in  Heaven,  82,  S3 

Counsel,  338,  339,  is  not  given 
\\  ithout  the  spirit  of  revela- 
tion, 339,  in  temporal  matters, 
339 

Cm  ennnt,  Latter-day  Saints  enter 
new  and  everlasting,  when 
they  enter  this  Church,  427, 
to  sustain  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
248-9. 

Coietousne»s  the  sin  of,  470, 
Devil  \uU  play  with  a  man  who 
worships  g.ifoi,  470,  Elders  who 
have,  470,  men  who  are  greedy, 
470,  men  i/ho  place  wealth  of 
thi>,  world  above  the  things  of 
(start  havo  no  eyes  to  see,  471, 
taltos  advantage  of  neighbor, 

CowdwTf    Oliver,    testimony    of, 
168,  early  missionary,  220,  707. 
Creation,  puipose  of,  87,  88. 
Creations,  work  of  God,  27 
Creeds,  entitled  to  protection,  98 
Cumorah,  plates  hid  in,  706 
Cursed,  Who  ought  to  be,  350 


Daily  duties,  18, 

Damnation,  know  enough  for,  6. 

Dancing,  go  and  enjoy  yourselves 
in,  373,  let  God  be  m*  your 
thoughts  in,  373,  exercise  to 
the  body  and  mind,  373,  not 
in  kouses  set  apart  for  re- 
ligious meetings,  375,  who 
should  not  be,  375 

Day  of  rest,  needed,  258 

Dead,  should  not  mourn  for 
righteous,  567. 


748 


INDEX 


Death,  came  by  sin,  117;  defined, 
141,  opposed  to,  151;  and  resur- 
rection, 564,  separation  of  body 
and  spirit,  565, 

Debt,  pay  your,  467;  do  not  go 
into,  467;  man  who  goes  into, 
who  has  no  prospect  of  pay- 
ing1, is  dishonest,  467,  man  who 
•will  not  pay,  is  no  Latter-day 
Saint,  467;  "borrowers  who  do 
not  pay,  undeserving  of  the 
fellowship  of  the  Saints,  467. 

Deceive,  cannot,  the  Lord,  30 

Declaration  of  Independence 
signers  of,  were  inspired,  550. 

Decomposition,  75. 

Defiler,  how  to  treat,  300. 

Denying,  revelations  of  the  Lord, 
345-. 

Destiny  of  man,  31,  33,  147. 

Devil,  in  heaven,  104;  cast  out  of 
heaven,  104,  does  not  own  the 
earth,  105,  power  of,  105,  mis- 
sion of,  106;  has  not  power 
over  body,  only  as  man  lets 
him,  107,  enemy  of  God  and 
man,  108,  angels  of,  121,  ser- 
vants of,  348. 

Devotion,  to  the  Gospel,  353. 

Devotion  and  Humility,  essen- 
tials, 509 

Diet,  290,  292,  293. 

Disease,  289,  200 

Disgrace,  not  to  take  care  of 
poor  relatives,  4SS 

Dishonesty,  cease,  432 

Disobedience,  effect  of,  36,  ef- 
fects of,  349,  causes  persecution, 
537 

Disobey,  those  who,  in  ignor- 
ance not  punished,  344,  those 
who,  knowingly,  are  punished, 

Divine  laws,  of  no  use  unless  ob- 
served, 344. 

Divinity,  within  us,  how  to  feed, 
256. 

Doctrine  and  Covenants,  purpose 
of,  197. 

Doctrine,  righteous  decision  in,  to 
be  had  by  unanimous  vote, 
206;  apostles,  prophets,  wnte 
same,  upon  same  subject,  209 

Douglas,  Stephen.  A.,  friendly  to 
Saints,  724, 

Drive,  parents  should  never,  chil- 
dren, 323. 

Duty,  what  it  is,  347,  if  Tve  neg- 
lect our.  we  will  be  chastened, 
360. 


Earth,  millions  of,  29;  end  of, 
45,  eternal  abode  of  man,  154; 
and  resurrection,  155;  abides 
law  of  creation,  155;  baptized 
with  water,  603,  see  also  world. 

East  Indian  Archipelago,  490. 

Eating,  290,  293,  298. 

Education,  physical  and  mental, 
to  be  given  to  boys  and  girls, 
327,  continuous,  382,  shall  not 
cease  in  the  spirit  world,  382, 
never  see  the  time  when  we 
shall  not  need,  382;  we  need 
constant,  883,  Lord  Almighty 
designed  us  to  have,  383,  ef- 
fects of,  385,  of  children 
worthy  of  our  attention,  387; 
of  the  youth  is  important,  388, 
builds  up  the  Kingdom,  389, 
establish  schools  for,  389,  what 
to  study  to  obtain,  392,  im- 
proves our  minds,  393,  teaches 
to  be  self  sustaining,  393;  to 
apply  your  labors  to  advan- 
tage, 395,  leligious,  396,  402 

Effects  of  Disobedience,  349. 

Eider,  Priesthood  of,  207;  not  to 
dictate  his  superior  in  office, 
228. 

Elders,  to  do  work  sot  them,  230, 
should  have  generous  natures, 
430,  should  exercise  faith,  430; 
should  pray  always,  430,  should 
serve  the  Lord,  431,  should 
ceas©  speaking  evil;  432,  should 
deal  honestly,  432;  course  of, 
to  save  every  person,  492, 
should  improve,  grow  in  grace 
and  knowledge,  while  preach- 
ing the  Gospel,  497,  successful, 
must  have  power  of  God,  516. 

Elements,  eternal  as  Gods,  24. 

Elohiui,  see  God, 

Emigration  Canyon,  named,  725. 

End,  when  will,  come  the,  87 

Endowment  House,  all  ordin- 
ances can  not  be  administered 
i.n,  612. 

Endowments,  162,  given  in  Solo- 
mon's temple,  602;  ruen  must 
hold  Melcliizedek  Priesthood 
before  receiving1,  607;  given  to 
some  means  their  destruction, 
COS,  for  Chu'rch  of  First-born, 
608,  definition  of,  637,  0-38. 

Enoch,  161,   179. 

Enthuirfngm,  12 

EjHiraim,  blessed  by  Jacob,  493 

Error,  to  pass  away,  14, 

E«au,  house  of,  to  be  saved,  48H 


INDEX 


749 


Eternal  Increase,  138-146 

Eternal  Life,  what  it  is,  147,  148, 
condition  for  obtaining,  345 

Eternal  progression,  24,  81,  law 
of,  133 

Eternity,  is  here,  24;  couise  of, 
34,  incomprehensible,  148 

Evan^eli&tN,  to  be  in  Church  of 
Christ,  211 

Eve,  in  Garden  of  Eden,  156, 
temptation  of,  164. 

Evil,  purpose  of,  85,  power  of, 
104. 

Exaltation,  proportioned  to  ca- 
pacity, 599. 

Exalted,  Saints  who  live  their  re- 
ligion will  be,  345 

Example,  parents  should  teach 
by,  322. 

Excursions,  prepare  suitable 
places  for,. 376,  should  be  made 
for  the  comfort  of  families, 
376 

Exercise,  bodies  should  have,  295, 
296. 

Existence,  object  of,  24. 

Experience,  life  a  school  of,  87, 
needed,  92,  necessary  for  salva- 
tion, 529,  530. 

Extravagant,  men  as,  as  women, 
330 


Faith,  first  principle,  236,  23 S, 
is  eternal,  237,  is  inherent  in 
man,  237,  maintain  integrity 
by,  238,  a  gift  of  God,  238, 
blessings  of,  240;  be  full  of, 
241;  good  works  follow,  241, 
not  dependent  on  miracles,  525; 
and  works,  446,  do  the  things 
that  are  necessaiy  by,  446,  in 
God,  451 

Faithful,  young  men  admonished 
to  be,  317,  will  exercise  faith, 
430,  will  pray  always,  430; 
serve  the  Lord,  431. 

Fall,  The,  157,  158. 

FuLschood,  cannot  be  overtaken, 
540. 

False  impressions,  never  give,  to 
children?  326. 

False  Spirits,  110-114. 

Family,  300. 

Family  life,  314,  315. 

Fanatics,  defined,  6. 

Far  West,  720. 

Fashion*,  331,  332,  333. 

Fast  day,  origin  of,  262;  purpose 

of,  263. 
Father,  see  God. 


Faultfinding,  127 

First  Cause,  38. 

First  Presidency,  212,  influence 
of,  213,  have  oracles  foi  hu- 
man family,  213,  prevailing  de- 
sire of,  to  save  the  world,  213, 
apostleship  not  taken  from, 
215,  privilege  of,  216;  powers 
of,  217 

Flattery,  124. 

Flax,  raise,  459 

Food,  proper,  for  little  children, 
327,  328 

Foreordination,  Saints  believe  in, 
85,  86 


. 

Forgive,  when  to,  243. 
Former-day  Saints,  like  Latter- 

day  Saints,  163 
Free     Agency,      in      council     in 

heaven,  83,  all  rational  beings 

have,   95,  96,  man  can  dispose 

of,   97,   explanation  of,  98,  99; 

the  law  of  liberty,  101,  347. 
Freedom,    man's    own    will    and, 

348 

Free  srace,  86. 
FrotviJus,  a  child  loves  the  smiles 

of   its   mother   but  hates   her, 


Garden  of  Eden,  Adam  and  Eve 
in,  156;  in  America,  157;  men- 
tioned, 725. 

Gathering:,  purpose  of,  185, 
leasons  for,  to  valleys  of 
mountains,  186. 

Gentile,  to  be  made  seed  of 
Abraham,  669. 

Gentleman,  defined,  429. 

Gilt,  of  Holy  Ghost,  218,  219 

Gila  River,  why  Saints  did  not 
go  to,  737. 

Give  Freely,  to  build  up  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  357. 

Glories,  number  of,  585. 

God,  governed  by  law,  1,  has 
power  of  truth,  7,  elements  as 
eternal  as,  24;  the  Creator,  37, 
the  Father,  27,  nature  of,  27, 
35,  his  attributes,  28,  omnipre- 
sence of,  30,  one,  31,  our 
Father,  31,  of  organization,  33, 
all  desire  a,  34;  many,  34,  his 
abode,  34;  Fatherhood  of,  36, 
source  of  all,  36;  personality 
of,  36,  Father  of  our  spirits, 
37;  of  temporal  experience,  37, 
communication  with,  49;  man 
offspring  of,  76,  known  by 


750 


INDEX 


man,  77,  his  wish  foi  his  chil- 
dren, 89,  governs  by  law,  90, 
attainment  of,  150,  all  intel- 
ligence from,  230,  sanctify, 
353,  Irve  by  every  -word  that 
pioceeds  from  the  mouth  of, 
353,  desiring  to  know  the  \Mll 
of,  353,  saved  in  the  kingdom 
of,,  355,  be  faithful  to  your, 
355,  all  knowledge  that  men 
possess  is  from,  355,  has  in 
store  for  us,  410,  at  helm  of 
ship  Zion,  528,  not  the  author 
of  war,  562,  removes  the  curse, 
430,  Ttho  are  loved  of,  431 

Godhead,  27,  unity  of,  44 

Gods,  exist,  and  we  had  better 
strive  to  be  one  of  them,  351, 
our  religion  is  designed  to 
restore  MS  to  the  pjesence  of 
the,  351 

Gold,  13  not  wealth,  473,  what 
used  for,  473,  true  happiness 
not  in,  473,  true  wealth,  474, 
with  no  possible  chance  to 
change,  would  be  destitution, 
474 

Gospel*  defined,  1-13,  power  of, 
1,  system  of  law,  1,  includes 
all  truth,  2,  comprehension  of, 
5,  holds  Priesthood,  6,  purpose 
of,  7,  8,  9,  11,  offers  salvation 
for  all,  10,  is  perfect,  11,  saves 
all,  12,  a  daily  guide,  12,  not 
theory,  18,  temopral  nature  of, 
21,  first  i  equu  ement,  32, 
founded  on  revelation,  58,  what 
it  bungs,  82,  unchanged,  158, 
revealed  to  Adam,  159,  import- 
ance of  principles  of,  235,  need 
to  have,  sounded  in  our  ears 
often,  250,  to  be  taught  to  chil- 
dien,  320,  to  piactice  requites 
time,  faith,  affection  and  labor, 
344,  devotion  to,  353,  apply 
your  heaits  to,  354,  loose  the 
spirit  of,  3(54,  believe  the,  3G4, 
comprises  every  ait  and  sci- 
ence known  to  man,  378,  preach 
the,  415,  the  poor  made  happy 
by,  486,  to  be  preached  to  all 
men,  489,  testimony  of,  gives 
solid  satisfaction,  514,  preach- 
ed with,  authority,  505,  why 
some  men  reject,  665,  to  go  to 
uttermost  parts  of  earth,  671, 
nature  of,  682,  best  Institution 
of  all,  683,  why  called  "Mor- 
momsm",  685,  effects  of,  686, 
what  it  teaches,  687,  will  bring 
peace  to  earth,  G87,  perfection 
to  be  obtained  through,  688, 


gives  desire  to  know  things  of 
God,  CSS,  persona]^  joy  in,  689, 
a  continual  feast,  690,  blesses 
all,  691,  dispels  gloom,  692, 
pioud  of,  693,  cairies  all,  693, 
Me&sings  of,  conditioned  upon 
good  works,  695,  increa&es 
blessing's,  696 

Government  of  God,  liow  to  un- 
dei  stand,  349 

Go* eminent  of  United  Siatcs,  has 
hi  ted  its  heel  against  Saints, 
531 

Government,  political,  543,  re- 
publican, 545,  how  a,  can 
stand,  545,  what  is  tiue,  545, 
behel  in  true,  546,  self,  lies  at 
root  of  all  effective,  545,  theo- 
cutic,  543 

Grant,  Jedediah  M.,  572 

Great  Salt  Lake  Valley,  see  Salt 
Lake  Valley 


Happiness,  cause  of,  119,  Samts 
should  have,  362,  the  whole 
world  are  after,  352,  he  who 
has  the  love  of  God  within  him 
has,  362,  found  not  In  gold  and 
silver,  362,  found  in.  peace  and 
love,  362,  incoiporated  in  the 
gieat  design  of  man's  exist- 
ence, 363,  nowhere  but  in  God, 
8G4,  only  one  way  foi  Saints 
to  have,  364,  -we  are  all  search- 
ing for,  304,  made  by  wealth, 
\\hen  used  for  the  Gospel,  481 

Hatred,  never  encouiage,  420 

13 culms?  the  sick,  251 

Health,  law  of,  289,  290,  294,  295, 
J9«,  298,  299 

Heart,  puie  befoie  God,  2C1,  the 
people  to  become  of  one,  341. 

Heathen,  enlightened,  49,  defined. 
82,  upnght,  93 

Heaven,  no  one  forced  into,  99. 

Heavenly  beings,  341 

Hell,  defined,  97,  589,  is  to  strive 
to  grasp  truth  with  one  hand, 
and  eiror  with  tile  other,  345, 
no  music  in,  374,  covenant 
breakers  to  go  to,  5S9 

High  Council,  should  be  filled 
\vith  power  of  Holy  Ghost,  200, 
duty  of,  231 

High  Priest,  Priesthood  of,  207, 
217,  first  oidamed,  220,  2!J1 

Holy  Ghost,  a  minister,  29,  one, 
35,  explanation  of,  46,  work 
of,  47,  received  by  laying  on 
of  hands,  248,  special  gilt  of 


INDEX 


751 


the  Father,  248,.  is  Minister  of 
the  Father,  248,  249,  mission 
of,  249. 

Holy  Spirit,  all  quickened  by,  47, 
explained,  50,  51 

Homes,  for  young  married  men, 
301 

Honesty,  be  honest  with  your- 
selves, 358,  men  must  have, 
3!>S,  honest  hearts  produce,  358, 
m  labor,  359,  deal  with,  432 

Hooper,  William,  remarks  on 
Mason  and  Duon's  Line,  560 

Housekeepers,  mothers  to  teach 
daughters  to  be,  326 

House  of  Israel,  is  objective  of 
missionaries,  493 

Housewife,  329 

Humanity,  see  man. 

Humble,  will  live,  353;  ourselves 
and  become  like  little  children, 
353,  are  full  of  jov  353 

Humility  and  Devotion,  essential 
to  Kingdom  of  OUT  Lord,  509. 

Husband,  should  be  head  of  the 
family,  306,  should  set  example 
for  wife  and  children,  306, 
should  be  affectionate  and 
kind,  306,  should  learn  to  bend 
his  will  to  will  of  God,  306,  307 


Identity,  will  be  preserved,  567 
Idler,  wicked  to  give  to  the,  423; 

never    give    anything    to    the, 

423 
Ignorance,  of  Christ  and  plan  of 

salvation,    342,    343, 
Illinois,  persecution  in,  724 
Imaginary  wants,  of  young  girls, 

337 
Imitate,  duty  to,  everything  good, 

lovely     dignified     and     prais- 

worthy,  263 
Improvements,  we  make,  add  to 

our  comfort,  465,  learn  how  to 

build,  4C5 
Impure,    anything,    must    perish, 

351 

Increase,  Eternal,  see  Eternal  In- 
crease. 

Independence,  sacred,  95. 
Indians,  who  massacre  are  guilty 

of     murder,      563;     See     also 

Lamamtes. 

Indigo,  can  be  raised,  460. 
Individuals,  receive  visions,  519 
Industry,  bu'ild  up,  465,  beautify, 

4C5,  plant  good  vineyards  and 

orchards  by,  465,  learn  how  to 

build,  465. 


Infidel,  15 

Influence,  of  mother,  319 

Intelligence,  why  given,  80,  eter- 
nal, 147,  received  from  God, 
230,  misapplied,  does  mischief, 
350,  given  by  God  is  to  carry 
out  puiposes  of  his  will,  350, 
good  thing1,  377,  to  become 
Gods  by,  377,  tiue,  377,  belongs 
to  Zion,  377;  gratifying  to  the 
Lord  and  angels,  377 

Indentions,  62 

Irrigation,  advice  to  water- 
masters,  741. 

Israel,  in  wilderness,  162,  who 
are,  669. 


Jackson   County,   return  to,   174, 
Center  Stake  of  Zion  at,  174. 
Jacob,   blesses   Ephraim,   493 
Jerusalem,   186 

Jesus  Christ,  his  revelations 
.sweet,  9,  atonement  of,  12, 
who  he  is,  3b,  40,  appointment 
of,  41,  testimony  of,  43,  mis- 
sion of,  44,  completion  of  work 
of,  45,  second  coming  of,  46, 
begotten  by  God,  77,  on  earth, 
1G3,  coming  of,  175,  176,  says 
"Distribute  to  the  poor,"  487, 
488,  performs  miracle  at  Cana, 
522,  523,  first-fruits  of  the 
resurrection,  573,  died  for 
every  man,  594 

Jews,  to  be  gathered,  187,  to  pre- 
pare for  coming  of  the  Mes- 
siah, 187,  to  see  Savior^  187 

Job,  expresses  idea  of  resurrec- 
tion, 567 

Johnson*  Lyman,  704 

Jordan  River,  to  be  turned  into 
canal,  742;  a  canal  to  be  made 
on  west  side  of,  742. 

Judgment,  do  not  deal  out,  427, 
428,  eternal,  584,  according  to 
works,  584,  of  God,  God-like, 

586,  to  be  out  of  own  mouths, 

587,  honesty    of    action    will 
temper,  587,  measure  of  human, 
590;  given  to  Saints,  591. 

Justice,  Lord  to  mete  out,  420. 


Kimball,  Heber  C.,  215,  219 

Kingdom,  of  God,  defined,  37,  a 
government,  that  protects 
every  person  in  his  rights,  544, 
definition  of,  670,  to  develop 
gradually,  672,  effect  of,  673; 


752 


INDEX 


filthy  cannot  enter,  674;  gov- 
ernment of,  674,  will  continue, 
676,  or  nothing,  680,  give  best 
you  have  to,  681. 

Kingdoms,  not  controlled  by 
holy  and  pure  principles  must 
pass  away,  351. 

Kixtlanfl  Temple,  Joseph  com- 
manded to  build,  636,  SainLs 
built,  under  trials,  637;  pre- 
paratory ordinances  in,  637 

Know,  how  to,  that  we  obey  God, 
346,  those  who,  Raster's  will 
and  do  it  not,  ought  to  be 
cursed,  350 

Knowledge,  is  divine,  17,  by  re- 
velation, 57,  of  eternity  leain- 
ed  only  by  keeping  command- 
ments, 343,  344,  do  everything 
possible  to  bring,  to  ourselves 
and  to  the  people,  344. 


Labor,  Gospel  in  daily,  12;  all,  in 
gospel,  13,  for  ourselves,  35, 
indispensable,  447,  manual, 
447,  building  up  of  Zion  re- 
quires, 447,  mental,  physical, 
spiritual,  447,  cannot  produce 
without,  462,  timber  will  con- 
tinue to  grow  but  not  brought 
into  service  without,  462, 
precious  metals  would  remain 
wi  mountains  without,  462, 
capitalists  need  your,  462,  price 
of  labor  should  be  brought  to 
a  reasonable  standard,  463. 

Labor  and  politics,  548. 

Lady,  defined,  429. 

Lamanites,  children  of  God,  188; 
duty  of  Saints  toward,  188,  18D, 
190,  of  House  of  Israel,  188. 

Lamb's  book  of  life*  all  names 
written  in,  593,  names  blotted 
out  of,  through  own  acts,  593. 

Land  of  Zion,  where  it  is,  183; 
American  continents  are,  184. 

Last  Days,  the,  170,  the  terror 
of,  171,  in  Zion,  173;  rapid 
movements  m,  178;  to  increase 
knowledge  in,  180 

Last  Dispensation,  165. 

Latter-da^  Saints,  like  former- 
day  Saints,  163;  have  your 
children  come  to  meeting,  321, 
not  as  rebellious  as  the  chil- 
dren 'Of  Israel,  351,  gather  the 
poor,  492,  character  of,  tra- 
duced, 532,  refused  privilege  of 
settlement  in  any  of  the  states 
of  the  Union,  725. 


Law,  Gospel,  system  of,  1,  God 
goveins  by,  90,  nature  of  God's, 
96,  not  capable  of  receiving 
fulness  of,  146,  should  obey 
every  good,  340,  divine,  of  no 
use,  unless  faithfully  observed, 
344,  no,  against  doing-  good, 
346,  no,  against  love,  346,  no, 
against  serving  God,  346;  no, 
against  charity  and  benevo- 
lence, 346,  no,  against  prin- 
ciples of  eternal  life,  346 

Law  of  Liberty,  see  free  agency. 

Law  of  Moses,  why  given,  160. 

Laying  on  of  hands,  252. 

Learn,  to  know  ourselves,  414; 
liberty,  religious,  should,  be  ob- 
served, 553. 

Life,  present,  more  precious,  23, 
eternity  of,  38,  76,  object  of, 
133,  business  of,  134,  135,  pur- 
pose of,  135,  136;  defined,  147, 
long  life  man's  first  duty,  288, 
fills  all  matter,  565,  566, 

Light,  if  people  reject,  they  will 
be  condemned,  349. 

Little  Mountain,  725. 

Lord,  the,  has  sent  forth  his  laws, 
commandments  and  ordinances, 
340 

Love  each  other,  417,  our  fellow 
man,  417,  our  neighbor  more 
than  self,  417;  God,  417,  Mercy, 
417,  you  are  in  the  path  of  life 
if  you,  God,  417;  labor  of,  417; 
our  enemies,  419 

Lucifer,  plan  of,  82,  his  angels, 
84;  enemy  of  Christ,  536,  See 
also,  Devil. 

Lying,  men  must  quit,  351. 

M 

MeLellln,  Wra.  E.,  218,  704. 
Musicians,     of     Egypt,     perform 

bogus  miracles,  524. 
Magnetism,  animal,  113 
Malice,  never  encourage,  420, 
Man,  may  save  himself,  7,  com- 
munication with  God  and,  49; 
is  eternal,  74 ,  offspring  of  God, 
76,  160,  king  of  earth,  76;  or- 
ganized spirit,  76;  child  ot 
celestial  parents,  78;  Jn  image 
of  God,  78;  spirit  of,  79;  differs 
in  talents,  79 ;  power  of  agency 
of,  85,  volition  of,  free,  85; 
gifts  from  God  to,  96;  desires 
to  do,  good,  102,  spirit  pure, 
107;  endures  forever,  134; 
stained  creation,  152,  creation 
of,  160,  has  degenerated,  162; 


INDEX 


753 


should  live  out  his  days,  567, 
desires  salvation,  645,  delights 
in  good,  645,  searches  for  sal- 
\ation,  647,  loves  truth  and 
righteousness,  647,  spirit  of, 
loves  truth,  647,  honest,  in 
other  churches,  648,  alike  in 
sentiments,  648,  has  variety  of 
gifts,  649,  power  of,  limited, 
650,  to  have  confidence  in  him- 
self, 652,  is  dependent,  652, 
must  fight  own  battles,  653, 
know  thyself,  653,  cherishes 
,?ood  character,  653,  needs 
leaders,  654,  duty  and  responsi- 
bility of,  655,  should  strive  to 
be  righteous,  655,  duty  of,  to 
listen  to  truth,  667 

Mankind,  our  friends,  8 

Manner,  children  need  duectmg 
and  teaching  what  is  right  in  a 
kind  and  affectionate,  32S-4. 

Manufacturing,  depend  upon  our 
o-wn,  459,  may  the  Lord  hedge 
up  the  way  against  foreign, 
459,  close  the  gate  against 
foreign,  459,  save  your  wool 
for,  459,  if  we  have  not  fac- 
tories sufficient,  will  send  and 
fet  more  machinery  for,  453, 
uild  a  tannery  for,  459,  glass, 
45!),  ov\n  dye  stuffs,  460 

Marriage,  earlj,  advocated,  301, 
303,  relation,  302,  foundation 
for  many  blessings,  302,  303,  to 
unbelievers  not  approved,  304 

Mason  find  Dlxou't*  Lino.  560. 

Masters  deal  honestly  with 
those  your  hire,  432. 

Matter,  organized,,  27,  eternity 
of,  73,  74,  decomposition  of, 
75,  mind  and,  89 

Medicine,   to   be  used   carefully, 

297 

Meetings,  Saints  Instructed  to 
have  their  childien  come  to, 
321. 

Melcuizcdck,  161. 

Jttelckixcdek  Priesthood,  confer- 
red by  Peter,  James  and  John, 
220,  Moses  held,  222,  to  be  con- 
ferted  on  men  before  receiving 
endowments,  607 

Merchants,  dishonest,  461. 

Mercy,  let  us  have,  419,  genius 
of  ieligi,on  to  have,  419,  merci- 
ful men  shall  find.  420,  should 
love,  420.  let,  soften  every  an- 
gry temper  421,  be  full  of,  422, 

Mesmerism,  113. 

Methodists.  9. 

Methnjelau,  161. 

25 


Millennium,  172,  consists  of,  177, 
privileges  of  Saints  in,  178, 
temples  built  m,  178,  work  for 
dead  to  be  done  in,  178,  men 
to  have  own  beliefs  in,  182, 
work  of  building  temples  In, 
615,  purpose  of,  616,  618,  619. 

Mind,  and  matter,  89,  condition 
of  to  worship  the  Lord,  250, 
keep  pure  and  clean,  434 

Blind  our  own  business,  Mormon 
creed,  415 

Ministry,  Christian,  sin  of,  490 

Miracles,  mysteries  and  visions, 
519,  providences  of  God,  520, 
only  required  b>  the  wicked, 
522,  performed  at  Cana  of  Gali- 
lee by  Jesus,  522,  523,  is  knowl- 
edge how  to  command  ele- 
ments, 523,  524,  bogus,  per- 
formed by  magicians  of  Egypt, 
524,  for  believers,  525,  faith 
not  dependent  on,  525,  cannot 
save  a  person,  525 

Mischief,  caused  to  misapplied 
intelligence,  350 

Misery,  purpose  of,   85 

Missionary  work,  489,  helps  to 
save  every  peison,  491 

Missionaries  words  to  departing, 
494,  must  be  examples  of  good 
works,  494,  to  go  without  pur^e 
or  scrip,  495,  to  go  with  clean 
hands  and  puie  hearts,  496,  to 
dedicate  families  to  the  Lord, 
497,  modern,  have  greatest 
work  to  do,  498,  minds  center- 
ed on  bringing  souls  to  Christ, 

499,  in  the  field,  advice  to,  499, 

500,  501,      the    returned,    503, 
advice  to,    504,    505, 

Missouri,  persecution  of  Saints 
m,  722,  723 

Mortey,  Isaac,   221 

Mormon  Battalion,  why  called, 
729,  line  of  march  of,  730,  how 
gathered,  731,  proportion  of, 
in  regard  to  Nation,  732,  severe 
conditions  of  march  of,  733. 

Mormon  Creed,  Mind  our  own 
business,  415 

Monuonism,  see  Gospel 

Moses,  161,  162,  222,  performed 
miracles,  524,  not  blamed  for 
Pharaoh's  h  a  r  d-heartedn«ss, 
539,  640. 

Mother,  Influence  of,  319,  to 
teach  children  early,  319,  to  be 
strict,  320,  appointed  mission- 
aries to  teach  their  children 
their  duties,  326,  to  teach  chil- 
dren cleanliness  and  purity  off 


754 


INDEX 


body,  326,  to  teach  children 
the  principles  of  salvation,  32b, 
to  teach  daughters  to  be 
house  keepers,  826,  can  admin- 
ister to  their  children,  828 

Mother  Earth,  body  returns  to, 
564 

Mount  Zion,  established,  489. 

Murdock,  John,  221. 

Masteries,  13,  visions  and  mir- 
acles, 519,  to  be  left  alone, 
520 

Mystery,  what  is  a,  520 
N 

National,  who  make  war,  guilty 
of  murder,  562,  563 

Nauvoo,  532,  Saints  left,  m 
February,  1846,  725,  72C 

Nauvoo  Temple,  buined,  632,  the 
Piophet  knew  Low  to  build, 
638,  built  under  trials,  b3y, 
passed  into  hands  of  enemy, 

Neglect,  if  we,  our  duty,  we  will 
be  chastened,  350 

Negro,  the  seed  of  Ham,  430 

Neighbors,  respect  for,  429,  tieat 
with  kindness,  429,  can  you 
live  as,  429 

O 

Obedience,  required,  31,  338;  ex- 
pected to  -the  word  of  the 
Lord,  339,  has  to  do  with  stem 
realities,  340,  effect  of,  345, 
and  free  agency,  347,  benefits 
of,  349. 

Obey,  every  g~ood  law,  340,  how 
to  know  that  we,  346, 

Oneness,  be  of  one  heart,  433, 
perfect,  will  save  a  people, 
434,  unity  of  purpose,  434,  as 
he  and  the  Father,  433 ,  except 
I  have,  with  my  brethren,  I  am 
not  a  Latter-day  Saint,  438, 

Opposite^,  need  of,  102 

Opposition  in  all  things,  must  be 
known,  530 

Order,  principles  of,  to  be  taught 
to  little  children,  327. 

Order  of  Enoch,  unity  in,  440, 
442 

Ordinances,  temporal  labor  of,  21 ; 
need  of,  235;  baptism  an,  230, 
of  house  of  God,  341,  none  to 
be  dispensed  with,  341. 

Original  sin,  31. 

Overcome  by  spirit  of  the  world, 
results  of,  350. 
P 

Parents,  how  and  what  to  teach 
children,  321,  to  see  that  chil- 


dren go  to  meeting's  as  well  as 
Sunday  School,  321,  not  to 
chasten  neighbors'  children, 
322,  if  righteous  and  faithful, 
not  separated  from  children  In 
etemity,  322,  to  set  examples 
that  they  \\isli  thoir  chlldieu 
to  imitate,  322,  not  to  dtive 
but  to  lead  children,  323,  how 
and  what  to  teach  their  chil- 
dien,  322  to  328,  when  and  how 
children  should  be  /sealed  to, 
322,  should  never  drive  chil- 
dren, 323,  need  of  training1,  328. 
to  teach  children  to  pray,  the 
law  of  health,  the  principles  of 
the  Gospel,  to  be  obedient,  331 

Parlies,  political,  558 

Partridge,  Edvvard,  busy  in  spirit 
world,  579. 

PustorN,  to  be  in  Church  of 
Christ,  211. 

Pass  away,  that  kingdom  powoi 
or  person  not  controlled  by 
pure  puncjples  must,  351. 

Passion**,  must  be  moulded,  14; 
omliittor  life,  100;  overcome, 
411,  chock  your  words  of,  41«, 
no  m<i'L  possessing  wibduiu  will 
give  vout  to,  413 

Patriarchal  doctrine,  9 

Patten,  JDavid  YV,,  2J«. 

Peace,  conditions  for  obluaHntf, 
345. 

People,  should  become  of  one 
heart  and  one  mind,  341,  mu,at 
be  belf-bUBlalnlus,  450,  should 
live  within  Uieli  means,  451. 

Perfection,  gospel  has,  11. 

Perish,  anything1  impure  mus' 
351. 

Persecutions  and  tnalH,  51!9|  pur- 
pose of,  531,  biing-  blessings, 
531,  may  be  expected,  5X1, 
cause  of,  535,  caused  disobedi- 
ence, 537;  iosu.lt  of,  538,  comes 
from  efforts  of  a  few,  G41,  542, 
of  the  Saints,  dangers  of,  541. 

Pharaoh,  hard-hearteUness  of, 
539,  540. 

Plan  of  Salvation,  see  Gospel. 

Political  government,  543    > 

Political  parties,  658 

Politics  and  labor,  548 

Polities  of  tlie  Latter-day  Saint*, 
549 

Popularity,  would  send  us  to  hell, 
540. 

Poor,  sot  to  work,  423,  Lord  has 
chosen  the,  423;  what  kind 
of,  423,  the  Lord's,  42S;  the 
devils,  423,  the  poor  devils, 


INDEX 


755 


423  the,  are  the  people  of  God, 
486,  made  happy  by  the  gos- 
pcft,  486,  jare  covetous,  487, 
rich  to  distribute  to,  488,  dis- 
grace not  to  take  care  of  own, 
488;  the,  gathered  by  Latter- 
day  Saints,  492 


uncertainty  of  tem- 
poral, 469,  like  a  shadow,  469, 
unseen  hand  of  providence  con- 
trols, 469;  today  they  are,  to- 
monow  they  are  not,  469,  true 
riches,  469,  Lord  can  take 
away,  470 

Potter,  Saints  like  clay  in  hands 
of,  344. 

Practice,  has  to  do  with  stern 
realities,  340,  of  the  gospel  re- 
quires time,  faith,  love  and 
labor,  344,  if  we,  what  we  pro- 
fess at  defiance  of  hell,  350, 
Is  greatest  sermon,  515 

Practical  reliptfon,  need  of  17,  18, 
22,  Zion  built  by,  19. 

Pralt,  Parley  P.,  early  mission- 
ary, 707 

Ptayer,  65,  66,  how  to  praj,  67, 
spirit  of,  67,  when  to  offer,  68- 
71,  if  neglected,  spin  of  dark- 
ness comes,  264 

Pro-appointment,  84 

Preach,  what  to,  13,  teuipoial 
labor,  21,  by  the  EToly  Ghost, 
47,  only  that  which  i^  known, 
511 

Preacher**,  hint  to,  511. 

Pre-exiMtence,  72 

Presence  of  Almighty,  strict 
obedience  to  the  truth  will  en- 
able people  to  dwell  in,  340, 
our  religion  is  designed  to 
restore  us  to  the,  of  God,  351 

Present,  gospel  for  the,  12,  of 
first  importance,  13 

Preserve  our  sifts,  31 

Priestcraft,  116,  116,  117. 

Priesthood,,  system  of  govern- 
ment, 2,  part  of  gospel,  6,  pur- 
pose of,  7,  bestowed  upon  men, 
201,  perfect  system  of  govern- 
ment, 201,  what  it  is,  201,  com- 
prises kingdom,  of  God,  202, 
where  keys  of,  are,  202;  on 
earth  at  various  times,  202, 
purpose  of,  208,  204,  obedience 
to,  brings  blessings,  203,  204, 
206;  power  of,  204,  laws  based 
upon,  204,  exists  in  spirit 
world,  204,  Who  shall  hold, 
205;  everything  subject  to,  205  , 
to  gain  influence  by,  206,  of 
Elder  same  as  of  Apostle,  207, 


not  destroyed  at  death  of  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  208, 
gives  same  counsel,  209,  man 
has  no  right  to  build  up  church 
without,  210,  Apostles  hold 
keys  of,  211 ,  will  of  God  made 
known  through,  211,  keys  of, 
committed  to  Joseph  Smith, 
213,  restored  In  our  day  for 
salvation  of  Israel  489 

Printing:  press,  first,  west  of 
Mississippi  by  Saints,  725,  728 

Profess,  if  we  practice  what  we. 
at  defiance  of  hell,  350 

Progeny,  man  is,  of  God,  38, 

Progression,  see  Eternal  Pro- 
gression 

Promises,  always  keep,  made  to 
children,  325 

Prophets,  to  be  in  Church  of 
Christ,  211 

Property,  accumulate,  466,  let 
every  man  and  woman  gathei 
to  themselves,  466. 

Prosper,  we  shall,  if  we  live  our 
religion,  349 

Protestants  15 

Provo  River,  mentioned,  742 

Purity,  of  body  to  bs  taught  to 
children,  326, 

Purse  or  scrip,  missionaries  to 
go  without,  496,  501 


Qtiatta,  sent  as  food  for  Saints, 

725 
Quincy,  people  of,  open  arms  for 

Saints,  723 


Rebellious,  Latter-day  Samts, 
not  as  the  Children  of  Israel, 
351 

Reformation,  defined,  244 

Reject,  do  not,  anything  that 
comes  from  the  Lord.  346 

Relief  Societies,  some  duties  of 
334,  members  of,  should  en- 
large their  sphere  of  useful- 
ness by  study,  335,  should  or- 
ganize industrial  societies,  335, 
to  relieve  necessities  of  the 
worthy,  336 

Religion,  practical,  need  of,  17, 
18,  22,  purpose  of,  24,  of 
heaven,  way  to  establish,  341, 
how  to  liv-e,  341,  346,  will 
prosper,  if  we  live  our,  349; 
to  restore  us  to  the  presence  of 
God,  351,  we  have  embraced 
must  last  from  Saturday  night 


756 


INDEX 


until  Saturday  night,  361,  our, 
one  of  Improvement,  878,  not 
contradicted  or  confined,  378, 
to  lead  men  to  a  state  of  in- 
telligence, 378,  our,  comprises 
every  art  and  science  known 
to  man,  37S,  duty,  Latter-das 
Saints  to  live  their,  380,  of 
Jesus  Christ  makes  the  people 
acquainted  with  the  things  of 
God,  380,  prompts  them  to 
seaich  after  knowledge,  3SO, 
of  the  day,  386,  and  science, 
397,  false,  brings  on  persec-u- 
tlons,  535 

Repentance,  made  manifest  by 
obedience,  242,  without,  atone- 
ment of  no  effect,  242,  not  up- 
on the  scaffold,  243,  from  false 
notions,  243,  should  never 
cease,  344,  what  it  is,  244 

Respect,  for  one  another,  421, 
for  neighbors,  429,  treat  thp 
stranger  with,  429 

Restoration,  the,  165 

Resurrection,  faith  of  Job  in  tne, 
566,  567,  Jesus  Jirst-frults  of 
573,  necessary  to  full  salvation, 
575 

Resurrection  and  dentil,  564 

Revelation*  about  daily  duties, 
18,  explained  54-58,  continual, 
59,  how  to  understand,  60, 
personal,  60,  62,  nature  of,  61, 
to  come  through  appointed 
channel,  212 

Revolution*  inspired,  551 

Richards,  Willard,  215 

Rigdon,  Sidney,  214,  216,  221 

Righteousness*  triumph  of,  172 

Rulers,  fitness  of,  548 


Sabbath  Day,  how  to  spend,  254, 
those  who  go  skating,  pleas- 
ure-riding, or  ori  excursions  on 
the,  are  weak  in  the  faith, 
254,  should  be  observed  foi 
temperance,  good  and  spiritual 
welfare,  254 

Sacrament  meetings,  if  neglected* 
spirit  of  darkness  comes,  264 

Sacrament  of  Lord's  Supper,  265, 
duty  of  Saints  to  attend,  265, 
more  sacred  than  other  ordin- 
ances, 265,  necessary  to  our 
salvation,  266;  required  of  dis- 
ciples until  Savior  comes  again, 

ftafut,  whole  man  a,  8,  not  per- 
fect, 11,  culling  of  «.,  258, 


St,  George  Temple,  641,  aite  of, 
had  been  dedicated,  643,  Spirit 
of  God  in,  642;  Tueadavs  and 
Wednesdays  appointed  for  bap- 
tisms in,  644,  Thursdays  and 
Fridays  for  endowments  in, 
644,  for  work  of  Lamanites  in, 
644,  completed,  644 

Saints,  will  not  be  confounded, 
if  they  live  their  religion,  347, 
know  how  to  be,  354,  made  per- 
fect by  suffering,  531,  dangers 
of  persecuting  the,  541;  will  yet 
save  the  Constitution,  563,  and 
politics,  B49 

Salt  Lake  Temple,  duty  of  Saints 
to  build,  629,  vision  of,  given 
to  President  Young,  629,  to 
have  six  towers,  029,  to  stand 
as  a  monument  of  Saints'  lova 
of  God,  631,  will  l>e  for  endow- 
ments, C32,  address  at  laying 
cornerstone  of,  632,  corner- 
stone dedicated,  641, 

Stilt  Lake  Valley,  settlement  In, 
735,  provided  by  God,  736-737, 
reasons  for  coming  to,  737-738, 
purpose  of  coming  to,  789,  a 
blessed  place,  740 

Salvation  for  all,  10,  12,  44,  49, 
86,  87,  present,  desired,  23,  25, 
secret  of,  88,  who  will  attain, 
88,  graded,  94,  when  entitled 
to,  242,  conditions  of  obtain- 
ing, 345,  universal,  592;  foi 
those  who  overcome,  592,  for 
heathen  nations,  593,  for  all 
except  sons  of  perdition,  594, 
way  to,  595;  through  gospel, 
595,  comes  through  work,  596, 
and  individual  work,  596,  free 
agency  in  receiving,  597, 
degrees  of,  597,  proportioned  to 
capacity,  599,  all  not  to  receive 
same,  599,  man  desires,  645 

Salvation  for  the  dead,  602,  when 
revealed,  611;  not  fully  reveal- 
ed at  first,  611,  purpose  of, 
611,  612,1  613,  pertaining  to- 
parents  and  children,  CIS,  014, 
do  not  wait  until  Millennium 
to  work  for,  616,  who  shall 
perform,  618,  for  thosa  who 
have  not  had  the  gospel,  620; 
a  law  to  be  obeyed,  62,  who 
should  represent  tho  dead  in 
the  work  of,  620,  621,  622,  62S, 
doctrine  of,  revealed  from  God, 
626,  greater  than  worldly 
wealth,  626 

San  Francisco,  why  Saints  aid 
not  go  to,  787. 


INDEX 


757 


Satan,  gee  Devil 

Sa\agc,  why  so,  S2 

Saving,  a  good  house-keeper  will 
be,  330 

Sailor,  faee  Jesus  Christ. 

SaAiors,  on  Mount  Zion,  623, 
meaning-  of,  623-624 

Sayings,  brief,  of  President 
Young,  340 

Schools,  established,  725 

School  of  Prophets,  32 

Scrip-tin  eg,  use  of,  197-198 

Scaled,  husband  and  wife  should 
be,  301 

Second  death,  What  it  is,  590 

Sects,  have  some  truth,  4,  to  deny 
Savior,  508- 

Seed  of  Ham,  the  negro,  430 

Self -control,  107 

Self-discipline,  necessary,   315, 

Self-sustaining,  people  must  be, 
450 

Soj-vants,  of  the  devil,  348,  deal 
honestly  with  those  Tiho  em- 
ploy you,  432 

Settlement  In  West,  722;  journey 
across  plains  to  establish,  722, 
trials  to  make,  722,  made  on 
City  Creek,  725,  made  by  estab- 
lishing orchards,  etc,  725,  to 
be  made  like  Garden  of  Eden, 
7U5,  made  by  building  loads, 
etc,,  727;  work  to  reach,  734; 
condition  of  people  and  ani- 
mals when  they  reached,  735 

Seventy,  Priesthood  of,  207,  not 
separate  body  from  Church, 
221,  to  be  teachers,  221 

Sewing  how  to  teach  to  children, 
325 

Silk,  raise,  460, 

Sin,  purpose  of,  85,  permitted  to 
come,  94,  explanation  of,  117- 
122,  doing  wrong  when  we 
know  we  can  do  better,  242 

Sinters,  to  teach  young1  girls  as 
to  imaginary  wants,  337. 

Slaves*  of  our  own  passions,  348 

Smiletf,  a  child  loves  the,  of  its 
mother,  but  hates  her  frown, 
323, 

Smith,  Joseph,  8*  Priesthood 
restored  by,  48,  early  revela- 
tions to,  54,  appointed  in 
councils  of  eternity,  165;  visit- 
ed by  angels,  166,  was  Presi- 
dent of  Church,  213,  keys  of 
Priesthood  committed  to,  213; 
mentioned,  217,  illiterate  boy, 
argument  of  the  wise,  492,  a 
purt  Bphraimite,  493,  a  Prophet 
of  God,  Saints  should  testify 


to  the  wicked,  508,  why  per- 
secuted, 537,  persecution  of, 
made  him  more  perfect,  538, 
had  the  right  to  establish  a 
religion,  654,  Corked  in  stone 
quarry  for  the  Kirtland  temple, 
fiST,  witness  of  truth,  G6€,  a 
PiopLet  of  God,  700,  laid  foun- 
Uation  of  kingdom  of  God,  700, 
explained  personality  of  God, 
701,  a  great  teacher,  702;  a 
good  man,  703,  called  by  God, 
703,  duected  by  God,  703, 
had  to  do  with  temporal 
things,  704,  development  of, 

705,  received     Aaronie     and 
Melchizedek    Pnesthoods    706, 
received  knowledge  of  plates, 

706,  God  sent  John,   the  Bap- 
tist and  Peter,  James  and  John 
to,    706,    sent    missionaries    to 
"West,   707,  received  revelation 
on  work  for  dead,  707;  teach- 
ings   of,     708,    could    explain 
heavenly  things,    708,    taught 
Gospel,  708,  result  of  labors  of, 
70S,   persecutions   of,  709,   lies 
KT culated   about,    711,   not   an 
impostor,  713,  haiassed  by  law- 
•suttp,    712,    of  good   character, 
713,     uhy,     was    killed,     713, 
sealed   bis   testimony  -frith  his 
Mood,    714,    in    forty-six   law- 
suits,    715,     works     in     spirit 
world,  715,  nature  of  family  of, 
716,  successors  of,  the  Twelve* 
71(5,   sayings  of,  717,   God  de- 
livered, from  enemies,  718,  doc- 
trine of  governing,  719,  prom- 
ised   protection    of    Governor 
Ford,  724. 

Smith,  Joseph,  Sr.,  busy  in  spirit 
world,  579 

Social  amusements,  ordained  of 
God  to  bless  las  people,  364, 
we  are  made  to  enjoy  all,  that 
God  en3oys,  365;  are  the  order 
of  heaven,  365,  a  blessing  for 
the  Latter-day  Saints  to  asso- 
ciate together,  365,  follow  only 
the  path  that  leads  to  life 
everlasting,  365,  privilege  of 
Saints,  to  enjoy,  366,  provide 
innocent,  366,  are  necessary, 
368,  to  satisfy  natural  organ- 
isation, 369,  resist  all  foul 
spirits  in,  369,  if.  you  can't  go 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  to, 
stay  home,  370,  to  promote 
healthy  action  to  the  whole 
system,  370,  no  harm  in  Sunday 
School  parties,  871,  pay  more 


758 


INDEX 


attention  to  public  exercises  In, 
372,  noisy  and  boisterous 
demonstrations  in,  indicate 
httle  sense,  372,  improve  the 
body  and  the  mind,  402 

Solomon's  temple,  David  com- 
manded to  prepare  building  of, 
634,  pattern  of,  given,  634,  why 
called,  G35 

Son  of  God,  see  Jesus  Christ 

Sons  of  perdition,  45,  sinners 
against  Holy  Ghost  are,  182 

Sorrow,  purpose  of,  &5 

Space,  no  empty,  30 

Spencer,  Brother,  lived  beyond 
common  age,  419 

Spirit,  makes  converts,  not  logic 
or  debate,  506 

Spirit  of  God,  how  to  obtain,  18 
See  also  Holy  Ghost 

Spirit  of  Truth,  how  engaged,  2J 

Spirit  of  tfce  world,  wLat  it  docs, 
350 

Spirits,  cannot  be  baptized,  581, 
Gan  preach  Gospel,  581,  can 
bring  information,  581 

ftvbltnalihm,  112 

Spirit  world,  576,  all  go  to,  57C, 
^here  it  is  576,  good  and  eMl 
spirits  in,  577,  labors  in,  578, 
Jesus,  first  to  preach  to  spirits 
In,  579,  dead  g-o  to,  5SO  spirits 
familiar  with  spirits  in,  581, 
life  in,  582,  cannot  be  describ- 
ed, 583,  transportation  in,  5S3, 
Joseph  Smith  in,  715 

Stake  presidencies  duties  of,  233 

Standard  Church  works,  1 95, 
•wliat  they  contain,  196;  Saints' 
belief  in,  197 

States'  Ufghts,  559 

Stranger*  preach,  youth  urged  to 
hoar,  264,  teaching1  in  Sunday 
School,  264 

Sulbflue,  our  own  passions,  410,  to 
conquer  s»nd,  411 

Snffar,  raise,  460 

Sunday  School*  We  should  have 
more  children  at  372 

Swearing-,  men  must  quit,  351 


Tabernacle,  opposed  to  theatrical 
performances  in,  374,  opposed 
to  making  It  a  nail  of  fun,  374 

Tnlen**,  to  be  used  208-209,  hide 
not  your,  3S2,  put  them  out  to 
usury,  443,  to  be  unproved,  581 

Tasfc,  to  undertake  to  live  a 
Saint  and  walk  in  darkness  is 
n  hard,  850, 


Taylor,  John,  724 
Teach,  mothers  to  commence  Tvitb 
children  m  their  lap,  319,  how 
and  what  to,  320 
Teachc-rH,   to   be    in   Church    of 

Christ,  211 

Telegraipli,  a  new  ra\ elation,  62 
Temper,  even  temper  to  be  main- 
tained, 315 

Temple*,  temporal  labor  in,  21, 
to  be  built  In  Millennium,  178, 
to  be  built,  275-276,  Saints 
commenced  to  build,  603,  en- 
dowments given  in  Solomon's, 
603,  for  God  to  come  to,  60S, 
indispensable  for  higher  ordin- 
ances, G04,  hundreds  of,  to  be 
built,  605,  endowments  to  be 
given  in,  60fi,  ordinances  of, 
for  salvation  of  human,  family, 
608,  worlc  for  dead  in,  608,  in- 
struction pertaining:  to  ordin- 
ances in,  609,  during  Millen- 
nium, 615,  built  expressly  to 
save  poople,  617,  sons  of  Jacob 
to  Trork  in,  626,  angrels  to  con- 
verso  and  explain  work  of,  627, 
angels  to  bring  list  of  names 
to,  037,  some  to  remain  in,  all 
thn  time,  628,  powers  of  evil 
opposed,  to,  628,  Saints  built 
two,  629:  to  have  grovei  and 
fish  ponds  on,  629,  David  not 
permitted  to  build,  634 
Temporal,  and  spiritual  insepar- 
able, 13-20,  labors  neeessarv, 
20.  nature  of  gospel,  21,  reve- 
lations, B4 

Temporal  matters,  counsel  In,  3SJ) 
Temptation,  explained,  122-126 
Ton  Tribes,  to  be  gathered,  187 
TertittionT*  how  obtained,  43,  52, 
53,  by  revelation,  57,  of  gos- 
pel, gives  solid  satisfaction, 
514,  -where  do  you  get  your? 
517;  all  Saints  may  have,  of 
gospel,  657,  must  have,  of 
Jesus  to  know  truth,  657,  how 
to  get  a,  658,  659-660,  miracles 
do  not  give  abiding,  G61;  people 
loin  Chu'rch  bv  reason  of,  662, 
gained  by  experience,  663,  Is 
positive,  664,  not  built  upon 
man,  6C6,  concerning1  Joseph 
Smith,  666. 

Theater,  is  there  evil  in,  375, 
built  to  attract  the  young-, 
376,  to  provide  amusement  for 
the  boys  and  girls,  375,  to 
amuse  the  people,  375,  stage 
can  be  made  to  aid  the  pulpit,